Where to watch: Alabama (9-3) at Ole Miss (10-3, 0-1 SEC) – Today 8 p.m. Central, The Pavilion at Ole Miss, ESPNU
Who to watch: Shannon Hale. After missing three games with an unspecified “medical condition” Hale finally re-emerged Saturday against Norfolk State. Playing 14 minutes off the bench, the junior forward looked rusty, scoring just two points on a pair of free throws while committing three fouls. Prior to that he had been averaging 12.9 points per game as a starting forward, and even if his minutes are limited again tonight, Alabama needs him to find his shooting touch again.
What to watch for: Can the Tide put the ball in the basket? It sounds simple, and yet scoring points has been anything but simple away from home. The Crimson Tide is already last in the SEC by a wide margin with 66.4 points per game. But in three true road games, Bama has scored 48, 58 and 51 points, miraculously coming away with a 2-1 record. And this figures to be the rowdiest road environment Alabama has seen this year, with the Rebels opening their new 9500-seat arena. But Ole Miss has given up just over 80 points a game over its last four contests, so the opportunity is there for Bama to break out of its funk.