Alabama basketball vs. Georgia: Score prediction, scouting report
Alabama basketball looks to score a victory over Georgia on Wednesday.
The No. 22 Crimson Tide will aim to win a third consecutive conference game, sitting atop the SEC standings ahead of the trip to Athens, Georgia. Alabama is fresh off its sixth 100-point game of the season, a program record, after defeating LSU 109-88 this past Saturday at Coleman Coliseum.
But Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats made it clear the defense for his team will need to improve if the Crimson Tide wants to win the SEC still this season. Offense hasn't been much of a problem, but the defense has been inconsistent at best.
Next up for the Crimson Tide is a Georgia team that sits one game above .500 in conference play. The Bulldogs haven't won many signature games, but they could still give Alabama plenty of trouble if the Crimson Tide doesn't show up to play on the road.
Ahead of the matchup on Wednesday (5:30 p.m. CT, SEC Network), here's a look at the Bulldogs (14-6, 4-3 SEC) and how they stack up with the Crimson Tide (14-6, 6-1 SEC).
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Projected starting lineup for Georgia
Guard Silas Demary (freshman): 6-foot-5, 185 pounds. Averages: 9.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, 1.9 turnovers.
Guard Noah Thomasson (senior): 6-foot-4, 210 pounds. Averages: 11.9 points, 3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.6 steals, 0 blocks, 0.8 turnovers.
Forward RJ Sunahara (senior): 6-foot-8, 205 pounds. Averages: 1.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.3 blocks, 0.7 turnovers.
Forward Jabri Abdur-Rahim (senior): 6-foot-8, 215 pounds. Averages: 13.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.3 blocks, 1.1 turnovers.
Center Russel Tchewa (senior): 7-foot, 275 pounds. Averages: 7.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.7 blocks, 1.7 turnovers.
Georgia's rotation
The Bulldogs use 10 players, who see 10 minutes or more per game. Outside of the starting five, RJ Melendez figures to see a good amount of time. Blue Cain and Jalen DeLoach are two others.
How Georgia stacks up with Alabama in scoring, defense and tempo
KenPom tracks adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, which are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. Georgia's defense is better than its offense, but both are solid in the top 100 of college basketball teams.
Alabama will look to play faster than the Bulldogs. KenPom measures the adjusted tempo statistic based on the number of possessions per 40 minutes.
Adjusted offensive efficiency:
Georgia: 111 (84th nationally)
Alabama: 125.2 (1st)
Adjusted defensive efficiency:
Georgia: 99.3 (53rd nationally)
Alabama: 100.2 (66th)
Tempo
Georgia: 69.7 (87th nationally)
Alabama: 72.3 (21st)
Score prediction
Alabama 84, Georgia 75: The Crimson Tide isn't near as good on the road as it is at home, but Alabama still has a solid outing and leaves Athens with the victory.
Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men's basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball, Georgia: Score prediction, scouting report
