The No. 8 Alabama men’s basketball team (3-2) is back in action on Tuesday for the second game of the Players Era Festival to face UNLV at 11 pm CT. This is in stark contrast to the 11 a.m. CT start time the Crimson Tide set for its Nov. 8 win at St. John’s inside Madison Square Garden.
UNLV (3-3) snapped a two-game winning streak with a 74-67 loss to Maryland in its first game at the Players Era Festival on Monday. This is the only game against a Power Four opponent that the Runnin’ Rebels, who won the 1990 NCAA Tournament, have played this regular season.
This is an unusually late reporting time for Alabama. Las Vegas, home of the Rebels, is two hours behind Alabama’s time zone for its home games. Tuesday night’s 9 p.m. update is about the situation locally at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The Crimson Tide (3-2) lost 95-85 against No. 12 Gonzaga on Monday night, with the contest tipping off at 8:30 p.m. CT. It was a game where Nate Oats’ team lost 48–36. The Bulldogs have defeated Alabama in two of the three all-time meetings.
Guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr., who was injured during the championship game of last season’s Players Era Festival against Oregon, will be out for the duration of the season. He has a foot injury that is not expected to keep him out long-term, but he will not play Tuesday night.
Alabama point guard LaBron Filon scored 29 points against the Bulldogs, making 11 field goals, but also turned the basketball over six times and failed to record any rebounds. Their scoring decreased during the second half, and the rebounding difference contributed as Gonzaga eventually increased its lead to double digits (and ultimately the final score).
If Alabama is to realize its hopes of joining the nation’s elite in March, the reemerging issues that have been problematic for the Crimson Tide in more matchups than Monday cannot continue. Oats’ team will get one more game to play in the Players Era Festival, even if Tuesday’s result is against the Runnin’ Rebels; That contest will take place on Wednesday against a team to be determined.
Be sure to refresh your browser for live updates. The latest updates will appear at the top.
Pregame:
<a href=