By Chris DePew
TideFans.com staff
January 16, 2016
Where to watch: Alabama (10-5, 1-2 SEC) at Vanderbilt (9-7, 1-3) – Today 5 p.m. Central, Memorial Gym, SEC Network
Who to watch: Riley Norris. It’s a safe guess that Norris won’t duplicate his barrage of eight 3-pointers that shocked South Carolina, but it wasn’t his scoring that earned him a midweek promotion to the starting lineup. The sophomore swing man got the start because Avery Johnson wanted more size and rebounding prowess against the Gamecocks and the odds favor a similar approach against Vanderbilt, which starts 6-foot-6 Jeff Roberson at small forward. Lost in the buzz over Norris’ 27-point outburst were his team-high seven rebounds. And the scoring wasn’t a complete fluke; he has now scored in double figures in five out of the last six games.
What to watch for: Tradin’ paint in the paint. Commodores coach Kevin Stallings is so frustrated with center Damian Jones’ chronic foul trouble (two DQs, 14 fouls in three league losses) that he dialed up the head of officiating for the SEC this week to vent over “some really, really poor calls lately”. And while fewer whistles would seem to be a natural advantage for a Vandy team that starts two 7-footers (Jones and Luke Kornet), the Crimson Tide could use some relief for its already-thin front line. Donta Hall has fouled out twice in the last three games while Jimmie Taylor and Michael Kessens have been prone to piling up whistles too this month.
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