By Chris DePew
TideFans.com staff
Nov. 14, 2017
Where to watch: Lipscomb (2-0) at Alabama (1-0) – Today 7 p.m. Central, Coleman Coliseum, SEC Network
Who to watch: Collin Sexton. After a one-game delay, the sixth McDonald’s All American in Crimson Tide history makes his college debut. While his scoring touch will still be welcome on a promising young offense, what is most needed from him is to stabilize and upgrade the point guard position. Bama managed a paltry 11.4 assists per game last season and turned it over 13.9 times per contest, among the very worst nationally in both categories. Even lottery picks in waiting need a chance to adjust to the college game, and Sexton gets a three-game home stand to iron out the kinks before the schedule grows much harder.
What to watch for: Perimeter defense. Alabama’s opponents only made a third of their 3-point attempts last season, and only got off a modest number of shots from behind the arc. That will be severely tested against the Bison, who return all five starters from a 20-win team that made an average of 10 treys per game. Lipscomb averaged 85 points per game and knocked off Missouri in non-conference play. Alabama needs to play aggressive, disciplined defense or the savvy Bison could make them pay time and again.
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