Where to watch: Jacksonville State (4-10) at Alabama (7-3) – Today 7 p.m. Central, Coleman Coliseum, SEC Network-Plus
Who to watch: Brandon Austin. The freshman guard from Montgomery has seen an uptick in playing time lately as Alabama has battled through injuries. In his last game in Tuscaloosa he responded with seven points versus Winthrop. Against Oregon he had just two points, but did pull down three rebounds. The next two games, both at home against middling opponents, provide a golden opportunity for Austin to improve on his hot-and-cold shooting and prove he deserves to be in the regular rotation for SEC play, which would allow some rest for an overworked Retin Obasohan.
What to watch for: How much of a killer instinct the Crimson Tide has. JSU isn’t quite as terrible as its record (2-10 against Division I teams) suggests, with single-digit losses to UAB and Virginia Tech. But the Gamecocks are clearly outclassed here, and it would be nice to see Bama to dominate from start to finish. Alabama has won all five games against teams outside the RPI Top 100, but only by an average of 8.2 points per game. With conference play starting with a bang next week (at Ole Miss, home to Kentucky), the Tide needs to flex its muscle while it can.