By Chris DePew
TideFans.com Staff
Feb. 15, 2017
Where to watch: Alabama (14-10, 7-5 SEC) at Missouri (7-17, 2-10) – Today 7:30 p.m. Central, Mizzou Arena, SEC Network
Who to watch: Riley Norris. It feels safe to pencil in the junior swingman from Albertville for somewhere between 8-15 points each game, since that’s been his range the last eight games. What can make or break Bama is how many shots he takes to get his numbers and whether he can contribute much on the boards. In the first meeting with Mizzou, Norris finished 5-for-10 from the floor, which was actually a cooling off after a hot first half where he got 11 of his 13 points. Excluding his 14 rebounds in a four-overtime win at South Carolina, he hasn’t grabbed more than three boards over the past three weeks, and only part of that can be attributed to his shifting to the off-guard slot in the starting lineup.
What to watch for: Snuffing out upset hopes early. In the Jan. 18 game at Coleman Coliseum, Bama got off to a sluggish start but everyone rightly believed it wouldn’t matter against the free-falling Tigers. But Missouri has finally started to make a breakthrough, scoring more than 70 points in its last three games and notching back-to-back home upsets of Arkansas and Vanderbilt. If Alabama lets the Tigers hang in the game, it might not have as easy of a time quashing the threat in the second half. But if the Tide exploits its advantages on the glass and on defense, it should still take care of business and secure its fifth SEC road win.
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