No. 4 Arizona Basketball looks to rebound against Alabama

PHOENIX, AZ – After enduring its first setback of the season, No. 4 Arizona Basketball (8-1) looks to rebound against Alabama (6-4).

Just days after suffering its first setback of the season, No. 4 Arizona Basketball is already back in action.

Returning to the hardwood in Phoenix, the Wildcats will take on Alabama for a mid-week showdown between two talented teams.

Coming in, the Wildcats will be tested quite a bit in this one as this is a legit team with championship aspirations.

Beyond that, Arizona will have to contend with an athletic team that plays a bit similarly to them in that Alabama likes to get up and down the court quickly and spread the floor.

We see this one being a battle to the end, and for Arizona to come away victorious, they are going to have to play a clean game and will need to take better care of the basketball.

Hopefully, the Wildcats will be ready to go in this one, and earn yet another big win on the young season! 

Getting to know the details about Arizona Basketball’s opponent, the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Team: Alabama Crimson Tide

Conference: Southeastern Conference (SEC)

Current Record: 6–4

Head Coach: Nate Oats. Coach Oats enters his 5th season as head coach of the Crimson Tide (9th overall as a head coach) where he is currently 98–46 (49–23) overall with three straight NCAA Tournament appearances with two Sweet 16 Finishes.

Before Alabama, Oats was head coach at Buffalo from 2015-19 where he accumulated a 96–43 (52–20) record with three NCAA Tournament appearances. Coach Oats was in charge of that 2018 team that beat No. 4 seed Arizona in the first round.

Overall, Coach Oats is 194–89 (101–43) as a head coach with six NCAA Tournament appearances, four conference championships, and two Sweet 16 appearances.

2022-23 Record: Finishing the 2022-23 season with an impressive, 31–6 (16–2) record, the Crimson Tide had a nice tournament run before losing to No. 5 seed San Diego State in the Sweet 16 round. The Aztecs went on to be the NCAA runner-up, where Keshad Johnson was a big part of that team!

So with Arizona Basketball taking on Alabama here is how you can watch and follow our Wildcats!

Arizona Basketball vs Alabama Information and Details:

Date: Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Time: 9:00 P.M. MST / 8:00 P.M. PST

Television: ESPN

Location: Footprint Center – Phoenix, AZ (18,422)

Spread: -7.5 Arizona (Don’t forget to sign up with Caesars Sportsbook or DraftKings to enhance your overall betting experience)

Overall Series Record: 3-1 Alabama. Having met just a few times in their collective history, Arizona trails in this head-to-head series, with Alabama having won three of their four meetings, including their last one in 2018.

Last Meeting: Alabama narrowly beat the Wildcats 76-73 in 2018 in Tuscaloosa as part of a home-and-home series between the two programs.

Arizona Basketball Game Preview:

Crashing back down to reality after its tough loss to Purdue on Saturday, Arizona Basketball returns to action with yet another significant challenge on its hands as it takes on Alabama.

Traveling just up the road to Phoenix, Arizona enters this one as the favorites, and we shouldn't let Alabama's record fool us. Alabama is a good team with a lot of great athletes, and they will test the Cats quite a bit.

Also a fast and athletic team, the Crimson Tide likes to push the tempo and get up and down the court, averaging an astounding 92.1 points per game.

A lot of their offense goes through its guards Mark Sears and Aaron Estrada, and if Arizona is going to win, it is going to need a better defensive effort, and its guard play (outside of Caleb Love) will also need to play better overall.

If Arizona sticks to what it does well, executes defensively, and takes care of the basketball, I like their chances of coming away victorious in this one.

Either way, we expect this one to be a fight until the end and it will be no cakewalk for the Cats! Hopefully, Arizona will be ready to go from the tip in this one, and can rebound in a big way against the Crimson Tide!

It will be a late one; however, with tip-off set for 9:00 P.M. Tucson time with the game being broadcasted on ESPN!

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