Live with the Tide: Alabama Basketball Hosts No. 25 LSU

Follow along on BamaCentral for live updates before, during, and after today's contest between the Crimson Tide and Tigers

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It is Wendell Hudson Day at the University of Alabama. 

At halftime of the men's basketball game against LSU, the school's first African American scholarship athlete will have his No. 20 retired in the rafters of Coleman Coliseum. 

Sports at the Capstone that are in competition in the winter and spring will wear a patch with Hudson's initials on it for the rest of their seasons. 

Tipoff between the Crimson Tide (13-11, 5-6 SEC) and the No. 25 ranked Tigers (18-6, 9-2 SEC) is set for 3 p.m, CT on ESPN2.

Alabama enters the game coming off of a heartbreaking 95-91 overtime loss at Auburn, while LSU beat Missouri, 84-82, on Wednesday. 

The Crimson Tide is currently a 1.5 point favorite and the over/under is set at 166.5. 

Pregame 

Hudson spoke to the media before today's game and jersey retirement ceremony: 

Alabama starters: Kira Lewis, Jr., Jaden Shackelford, John Petty, Jr., Herb Jones, and Alex Reese. 

LSU starters: Skylar Mays, Trendon Watford, Darius Days, Javonte Smart, and Emmitt Williams. 

Today's officials are Doug Shows, Olandis Poole, and John Hampton. 

First Half 

• Alabama wins the tip and Shackelford misses a 3-point attempt. 
• Smart buries a trey for the Tigers from the top of the key. 
• Beautiful display of ball movement from the Crimson Tide to find Reese in the lane for the floater. 
• Watford, the Alabama native, drives to the hole and scores a layup after getting fouled by Reese. He misses the free throw. 
• Lewis answers with a hard contested layup. He bricks the foul shot afterwards.
• At the first media timeout of the game, Alabama leads LSU, 7-5. Reese knocked down a huge 3-pointer before the break.
• Watford is getting boos and shouts of "traitor" every time he touches the ball. 
• Out of the timeout, Reese blocks Watford's shot attempt. 
• Guard Beetle Bolden and forward Javian Davis has entered the game for the Crimson Tide. 
• Williams sinks two at the line to tie the game. 
• Mays drills a 3-pointer and the Tigers have the lead, 10-7. 
• Petty strikes back with a wide-open three. 
• Davis has picked up two fouls in less than a minute. Galin Smith will come on to replace him. Jones is coming back on the floor. 
• Jones gets a block, leading to Alabama moving the ball quickly down the floor to Forbes, who misses a three, but Smith gets the offensive rebound. He is fouled on the put back attempt. 
• At the under 12-minute timeout, it is still tied at 10. Smith will shoot free throws when we return. 
• Smith makes both. Alabama up two, 12-10. 
• LSU can not convert and Jones throws the outlet pass out to Shackelford who finishes at the rim for two. 
• Lewis hits his first 3-point basket of the day and the Crimson Tide is up seven, 17-10 with 9:35 to go. 
• Smart stops the bleeding and hits a 3-pointer for the Tigers to cut the deficit to four. 
• Shackelford responds with 3-pointer of his own. 
• After that foul by Shackelford, LSU is now in the bonus. Days makes them both. 
• A couple UA turnovers have led to baskets in transition for the Tigers. Watford's layup makes it, 20-19. 
• LSU is on a 6-0 run in the last 50 seconds of action. 
• Shackelford makes his second 3-pointer of the game, this time hitting from the left corner. He was a team-high eight points. 
• Bolden is at the free-throw line and he converts two shots to push Alabama's lead back out to six. 
• LSU is now on a 4-0 run after baskets from Watford and Williams. 
• Watford's driving layup has tied the game up at 25. He has six points. 
• Lewis will head to the charity stripe after the final media timeout of this half. 3:56 left on the clock. 
• Jones' impact is being felt. He has six rebounds and two blocks in 10 minutes of action. 
• After the timeout, Lewis scores two. 
• The Crimson Tide forces a shot-clock violation from the Tigers. 
• Jones scores the easy lay in after the assist from Petty. 
• Jones' length and size forces Williams to miss and Shackelford scores an easy bucket on the other end for the Crimson Tide. Alabama back out in front by six, 31-25. 
• A technical foul has been assessed to Williams, while Petty is shooting at the foul line. He misses the tech shot and only makes one of two of the other attempts. 
• Mays can only make 1-of-2 at the line and Lewis takes the ball, driving a scoring a tough layup. 
• Smart and Shackelford trade 3-point baskets on consecutive possessions. Alabama owns a 9-point advantage, 38-29. 
• Hyatt is called for a foul on the rebound and Smith will head to the line. 
• Smith sinks two and Alabama will take a 40-29 lead at intermission. Shackelford has a game-high 13 points, while Jones has seven rebounds. 

Second Half

• The final 20 minutes begins with the same starters for each team. 
• Mays drives and scores a contest layup, while being fouled in the process. He makes the shot, completing the and-one. 
• Jones kicks it out to Lewis in the corner, who buries a 3-pointer. 
• Mays and Shackelford both trade 3-pointers on the next possessions. Offenses are heating up for both squads. 
• Petty hits a trey from the corner now and Alabama leads by 14, 51-37. 
• Lewis steals the ball from Watford and goes coast-to-coast and scores the easy layup. 
• Will Wade will call a timeout. Alabama leads 53-37, with 15:34 left. 
• Mays is shooting two at the free-throw line. He scores both. 
• Smith slams it for a two-handed jam. That will get Coleman on its feet. 
• Back to back dunks for Smith now. 
• Lewis scores a layup and Alabama has its biggest lead of the game at 18, 59-41. 
• LSU has gone on a 9-0 run after that 3-pointer by Williams. 
• Lewis has hit back-to-back 3-pointers for the Crimson Tide. Alabama is back up by 15 at the under 12-minute media timeout. 10:35 left on the clock. Lewis has 13 for the second half and 22 for the game. He is 3-of-3 from the beyond the arc in this half.
• After his last rebound, Jones has 14 now for the game. That is a career-high.  
• A 3-pointer by Mays has cut Alabama's lead to 12, 68-56. 
• Lewis drives by Watford and gets the kind roll for a layup. 
• At the under eight-minute media timeout, Alabama leads 70-56. 
• Out of the break, Forbes can not control the pass and Alabama turns it over. 
• Reese is called for a questionable foul on Williams and he will head to the line. He can only make one of two. 
• Lewis draws a foul and he will shoot two. He makes the first and bricks the second.
• A layup by Watford and dunk by Mays has cut Alabama's lead to eight. 
• Shackelford finishes at the rim for two, but Watford cans a 3-pointer from the top of the key. 
• Alabama can not convert on the offensive end leading to Mays scoring a layup. The Crimson Tide's lead is only five, 75-70 at the final media timeout of regulation. 3:05 left on the clock.  
• The Tigers have made five of their last seven shots from the field. 
• Smith scores two from the charity stripe. 
• Petty is called for a foul and that will send Mays to the line for a one and one. he misses the front end. 
• Smith just put in some work on the offensive glass that possession. He will head back to the line for a one and one opportunity. He misses the front end as well. 
• Watford scores a layup and then Lewis turns the ball over. Smart capitalizes and bangs home a 3-pointer. Alabama leads by two, 77-75. 
• Jones is fouled and he just hit a free throw one-handed. Make it two. Alabama by four with 1:39 to go. 
• Mays answers with a massive 3-pointer for the Tigers. Wade calls a full timeout. 
• Alabama leads 79-78 with 1:32 remaining. 
• Lewis drives and kicks it out to Shackelford, who hits a 3-pointer from the wing. 
• Williams is at the line for the Tigers after the foul by Smith. He makes both shots. Alabama leads by two with 1:10 to go. 
• Taylor blocks Lewis' layup, but the ball falls to Reese who hits a crucial 3-pointer with 40 seconds left to put Alabama up by five, 85-80. Oats has called a full timeout.
• Watford's shot misses, but LSU gets the offensive board and Lewis gets a steal. He throws it up to Shackelford who scores a wide-open layup. 
• After the review, Alabama will have the ball and it leads by seven with 11.6 seconds left. 
• Watford has fouled out with 18 points and four rebounds. Shackelford is at the line. He makes one of two. 
• Alabama defeats No. 25 LSU, 88-82.