No. 17 Alabama takes hot streak to Georgia in battle of high-scoring teams
No. 17 Alabama looks to extend its Southeastern Conference winning streak to nine games when it travels to play Georgia on Tuesday in Athens.
Alabama (22-7, 12-4 SEC) remains in second place in the conference after coming from behind to knock off No. 22 Tennessee 71-69 on Saturday in a battle between ranked teams.
Georgia (20-9, 8-8) evened its conference record on Saturday with a wire-to-wire 87-68 home victory over South Carolina. The win gave the Bulldogs their third straight 20-win season.
With two games remaining in the regular season, both squads look like sure things for the NCAA Tournament. Alabama is No. 16 in the NCAA Net rankings and Georgia is No. 31.
The Tuesday contest matches two of the most offensive-minded teams in the country. Alabama ranks first in the nation in scoring at 92.1 points per game, while Georgia is No. 6 in the nation and No. 3 in the SEC at 89.7 points.
Both the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide rank near the bottom half of the conference in defense: Georgia is No. 11 at 78.4 points and Alabama is last at 83.1 points. But it was Alabama's defense that made the difference against Tennessee, coach Nate Oats said.
"We showed some adaptability on defense, the ability to change up," Oats said on Saturday. "We weren't getting stops at some point, and we had to figure out we needed to outscore them a little bit, so we went with a four-guard lineup."
Labaron Philon Jr. hit the go ahead jumper with 22.8 seconds remaining against Tennessee. He scored 23 points -- his 16th game with 20-plus points -- and leads the team in scoring at 21.4 points per game. Philon ranks third in the SEC in scoring and Aden Holloway is No. 14 in the league at 16.7. The Tide have six players who average double figures.
The Bulldogs also showed off their balanced attack in their second win of the season against South Carolina. Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 18 points in the win, one of five players in double figures. He averages a team-leading 17.7 points and is one of four players who average double figures.
"This is exactly what I wanted when I chose to come to Georgia," Wilkinson said. "Playing at home, having a chance to go deep in the tournament and be around great guys. That's exactly what it is. I love playing with this group, and the fact that there's high stakes on every game doesn't scare me. It's exactly what I want."
Georgia's Blue Cain only needs 17 more points to reach 1,000 for his career; he averages 13.5 points. The junior has started 70 straight games dating back to the last eight games of his freshman year.
Somto Cyril is on pace to set a school record for shooting percentage. He has made 111 of 148 shots, a 75% success rate that is 10% better than the previous mark. The sophomore center was 6-for-7 against South Carolina. Cyril also had two blocks against the Gamecocks, giving him 71 in 29 games this season.
Alabama has won seven of the last eight meetings with Georgia. The Crimson Tide won 90-69 last year in Tuscaloosa.