By Chris DePew
TideFans.com Staff
Feb. 18, 2017
Where to watch: LSU (9-16, 1-12 SEC) at Alabama (15-10, 8-5) – Today 2:30 p.m., Coleman Coliseum, SEC Network
Who to watch: Bola Olaniyan. The graduate transfer averages six rebounds a game, which is the same number he got last month in an 81-66 win at LSU. But that number seems pedestrian compared to some of the eye-popping totals the 6-foot-7 power forward is capable of putting up. He has reached double-digit rebounds four times in SEC play, including a season high 14 on Wednesday at Missouri. In a game where the Crimson Tide struggled to score, 18 of its points came on possessions that were started with or extended by an Olaniyan rebound.
What to watch for: If the Tide is dialed in enough to take care of business without drama. The Tigers have lost 12 straight games and after putting up a fight against Kentucky and Arkansas seem to have gone back to just killing time until Johnny Jones’ inevitable end-of-season firing. But you’d have never guessed LSU was in disarray for about the first 35 minutes of the first game in Baton Rouge. Bama needed an out-of-nowhere 25-10 closing run to break open a listless tie game that strongly resembled this week’s stinker at Mizzou. Perhaps some letdown was inevitable after a two-week stretch that included three of the league’s top four teams plus archrival Auburn, but the way Alabama came out Wednesday night was the hallmark of an immature, unfocused team. The one thing the Crimson Tide has done consistently is beat bad teams at home comfortably, and LSU is easily the worst of the three remaining home opponents. Any hope of pulling out a 20-win season begins with winning today.
Follow Chris DePew on Twitter @TideFansChris