Live Updates: No. 10 Alabama Basketball vs LSU

Second Half

(most recent update at top)

Final: Alabama 78, LSU 60

Gaines picks up his second personal foul.

Gaines makes two free throws, cutting the Crimson Tide lead to 18.

Gaines steals the basketball and makes a monster dunk, but at 20 points down and 36.7 seconds left on the clock, it's not going to do a lot of good.

Nate Oats has emptied the Alabama bench with 1:05 left to go.

Jump ball is called in favor of the Crimson Tide. On Alabama's next possession, Gary picks up two more points to bring his total to 12.

Shareef O'Neal heads to the line for two free throw attempts. He makes his first, but misses his second.

Final media timeout of the game. Alabama leads 76-55 with 2:17 to go in the contest.

Petty misses two threes on the same possession. However, a steal by Quinerly on the ensuing LSU possession leads to two points off a layup by Reese.

Three-point basket good by Thomas.

A layup by Quinerly gives the Crimson Tide a 22-point lead. 74-52 Alabama.

Smart picks up his first personal of the game, an offensive foul. Turnover Tigers. Alabama basketball with 4:24 to go.

Watford makes his first free throw, but misses his second. He is 3-for-8 on the night.

Gary is out of the locker room and appears to be fine.

Reese gets the dunk on an alley-oop play, assisted by Shackelford.

Reese picks up his third-straight rebound. On the ensuing possession, Cook picks up his second personal foul. LSU's Leblanc heads to the side of the court, clutching his wrist.

Quinerly replaces Petty for the Crimson Tide.

Shackelford picks up his 18th and 19th points with a layup.

Smart heads to the line to shoot two after a foul by Ellis. Smart scores two. 68-51 Alabama.

Primo gets his first points of the game with a layup. On the ensuing LSU possession, Gary gets injured and heads straight to the locker room holding his right hand on his forehead/right eye.

Jump ball called in Alabama's end of the court, the call goes in favor of the Crimson Tide. Media timeout. With 7:17 to go in the contest, Alabama is keeping up the points margin. 66-49 Crimson Tide.

Goaltending called on Petty, basket by Watford counts. However, Petty responds with a layup for himself. 66-47 Alabama with 8:11 to go.

Quinerly sinks another three, assist by Miles.

Wilkinson slams down a dunk, assisted by Gaines.

Fadeaway jumper by Quinerly good for two. Alabama leads 59-41 with just under 10 minutes remaining.

Leblanc gets called for his third personal. Alabama basketball. Under-12 media timeout.

Shackelford responds to a three-pointer by Smart with a three of his own. 57-49 Crimson Tide.

Darius Miles replaces Gary.

Over the last 5:41, the Crimson Tide is on a 16-2 run over the Tigers, including going three for its last three. LSU is currently experiencing a scoring drought of 2:16.

Ellis drains a three, assist by Quinerly. Timeout LSU. Alabama takes a 54-34 lead.

Gary adds two more points with a layup to put him in double digits with 10 points.

Media timeout. Alabama is hitting all the right notes on both offense and defense. There are currently no trends for either team, but the Crimson Tide is maintaining a 13-point lead with 14:36 remaining in the game. 47-34 Alabama.

Ellis puts Smart on a poster with a ridiculous dunk. Look for Ellis on the SportsCenter Top 10 later on this evening.

Timeout LSU. With 15:32 to go in the contest, Alabama leads LSU 45-32.

Gary gets a steal, then a fast-break layup over Watford. Gary stares down Watford as he runs past him back down the court, talking a little bit of trash on his way. Gary now has eight points and six rebounds in his nine minutes on the court.

Gary makes the most of his first Alabama possession, scoring a layup then forcing a foul out of Thomas.

Jones gets called for his fourth personal foul. Gary comes in the replace him.

Reese picks up a solid block on a layup attempt by Leblanc. Ball is rebounded by Jones, but Shackelford ultimately turns it over on the Alabama end of the court.

Reese nails a deep three, with Watford — the man to poked his eye — scrambling in to defend him. The three is only Alabama's third three of the game.

Now Petty picks up his first foul. On both of LSU's first possessions of the second half, Alabama has fouled the Tigers. Thomas heads to the line and makes both of his free throws. 38-32 Crimson Tide.

Jones picks up his third personal foul to start the second half. Watford heads to the line and misses both free throws. Alabama rebounds the basketball, leading to an unassisted field goal by Jones.

LSU's ball to start the second half.

Halftime Notes

Shackelford leads Alabama with 10 points in the first half, followed by Gary and Reese, who each have six. Jones, Petty, Gary and Ellis are all tied for the team lead in rebounds with four apiece.

Thomas for LSU leads the Tigers in points with 13. Regarding rebounds, Watford had a significant lead with six.

In total rebonds, Alabama is out-rebounding LSU 24-19. The Crimson Tide has scored 10 second-chance points compared to the Tigers' one, a key difference in the game.

Another big game-changer is bench points. Alabama currently has 14 points scored by players off the bench, while LSU currently only has two.

In the second half, the Crimson Tide needs to find greater consistency on offense while maintaining its momentum on defense. Alabama also needs to tighten up on its sloppy passing and ball handling — something that really hasn't plagued the Crimson Tide this season until recently.

First Half

Halftime: Alabama 36, LSU 30

Reese is back out of the locker room and is on the Alabama bench. He appears to be fine.

Shackelford heads to the line and scores two. Alabama is back up by 10 with 45.5 seconds left in the first.

Gary gets called for his third personal. James Rojas comes in to replace him. Watford heads to the line and goes 1-1, followed by a foul on the rebound called on LSU's Mwani Wilkinson. Eric Gaines goes in to replace Wilkinson.

Josh Leblanc gets called for his second personal to send Shackelford to the line. Shackelford scores two. 34-25 Crimson Tide with 1:30 to go.

Shot clock violation called on LSU. Ball goes back to Alabama.

Gary makes a layup, assisted by Quinerly.

Timeout on the floor. Reese appears to have been poked in the eye and is headed to the locker room. LSU has scratched and clawed its way back to only being five points down. 30-25 Alabama with 3:48 remaining in the first half.

And now it's Jones' turn to pick up his second personal. The ensuing possession results in two points by Watford.

Primo picks up his second personal foul of the game. Gaines heads to the line for two free throws and sinks both. 30-23 Alabama with 4:35 to go in the first.

Shackelford makes a pretty behind-the-back dribble to shrug off an LSU defender, then makes a layup for two.

Smart gets a layup for the Tigers after Jones makes a bad pass to Petty. 28-21 Alabama at the six-minute mark.

Gary fouls Watford and sends him to the line. Watford makes his first but misses his second attempt.

Alabama's offense has picked up some momentum since the last media timeout and is starting to find its rhythm. On defense, the Crimson Tide has forced three turnovers and two steals and has scored four points off of those turnovers. Along with two blocks, Alabama has done a solid job holding LSU at bay.

Shackelford maintains the 10-point Alabama lead with another layup. Timeout on the floor. With 6:54 to go in the first half, the Crimson Tide leads 28-18.

A charge on Thomas negates a basket for the Tigers. Alabama basketball.

A field goal by Jaden Shackelford puts Alabama up 10. 8-0 run over the last 1:34 for the Crimson Tide.

Reese picks up his team-leading fifth and sixth points on a layup, assisted by Petty. Alabama is on another 6-0 run.

Reese is fouled by LSU's Jalen Cook and goes to the line for two free throws. Reese makes both. 10-16 Alabama.

Javonte Smart sinks a three. LSU has pulled within two. 18-16 Crimson Tide with just over 10 minutes left to go in the first half.

A personal foul by Gary sends us to the under-12 media timeout. Alabama leads 18-11 with 11:32 in the first half. While the Crimson Tide has been relatively consistent on defense, sloppy ball handling and two turnovers have kept the Tigers in the game.

Another three by Keon Ellis gives Alabama back-to-back threes.

Jahvon Quinerly hits the first three of the night for the Crimson Tide. Alabama was 0-4 from beyond the arc to start the game.

Alabama has started a 6-0 run. The Crimson Tide's defense is starting to heat up after a cold start. For the Tigers, LSU is now just one of its last nine field goal attempts. 12:58 to go in the first half, Alabama leads 12-7.

Two points from a layup by Petty gives Alabama the 8-7 lead.

LSU's Cam Thomas sinks a deep three, and LSU is right back on top.

Alabama takes its first lead of the game with a short field goal by Juwan Gary. Crimson Tide on top 6-4 with 14:30 to go in the first half.

Jump ball called in favor of the Crimson Tide. Media timeout with 15:48 to go in the first half. A slow start for both sides to begin the game.

Field goal by Alex Reese ties the game at four apiece.

Trendon Watford gets his hands on the ball for the first time, resulting in a resounding chorus of boos from the Alabama student section.

A dunk by John Petty Jr., assisted by Herb Jones, give the Crimson Tide its first points of the night. 2-2 LSU with 18:44 to go in the first half.

LSU wins the opening tip, and we are underway here in Coleman Coliseum.

Pregame

Alabama coach Nate Oats is sporting a snazzy plaid jacket much like Crimson Tide legend Wimp Sanderson used to wear:

Tonight’s head coach fashion report form Coleman Coliseum. pic.twitter.com/e1RhcOJPNJ
— Roger Hoover (@Roger_Hoover) February 4, 2021

Tonight's officials are Pat Adams, Rob Rorke, and Will Howard.

LSU starters: Trendon Watford, Javonte Smart, Cameron Thomas, MWani Wilkinson, and Josh LeBlanc.

Welcome to the 🖐, Josh LeBlanc!#BootUp pic.twitter.com/xFSZpMexLl
— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) February 3, 2021

Alabama starters: Herb Jones, John Petty Jr., Jaden Shackelford, Josh Primo, and Alex Reese.

#BamaFirstFive pic.twitter.com/rqI7J807jP
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) February 3, 2021

Alabama is currently 14-4 overall and is 9-0 in SEC play. LSU is 11-5 overall and is 6-3 in the conference.

Game Preview

You know it's been grating on LSU.

Two weeks ago on Jan. 19, 2021 in Baton Rouge, not only did Alabama beat LSU on its home floor at Pete Maravich Assembly Center, it embarrassed the Tigers.

Paced by 23 three pointers, which broke the Crimson Tide's SEC record, Alabama won 105-75.

It marked the Crimson Tide’s second-largest margin of victory over LSU in school history.

"Not giving up 23 three would be a good start," LSU coach Will Wade said about some of the adjustments the Tigers will need to make for the rematch.

"Huge challenge for us,"

Three Alabama players accounted for 22 or more points that night as John Petty Jr. (24), Jahvon Quinerly (22) and Joshua Primo (22) combined to score 68 of the Crimson Tide’s 105 points.

Petty set the tone by hitting his first six three-pointers and finished 8-of-10 from beyond the arc. Primo finished 6-of-8 from deep while Quinerly went 6-of-7.

However, the revenge card may be one of the few factors going in LSU's favor.

Alabama will be home, where it's lost just once this season.

The Tigers will be without forward Darius Days (12.1 points per game, plus led the team in rebounds with 7.9 and steals at 21) for multiple weeks after he went down with a knee injury in the second half of the loss to Texas Tech last Saturday.

Even before that injury, LSU was on a downward slope. Including the first meeting with the Crimson Tide, the Tigers have dropped three of their last four games, with the lone win coming at Texas A&M (78- 66) on Jan. 26.

Coming into Wednesday night’s contest, Alabama (14-4) not only leads the SEC at 9-0 but owns a three-game lead on the league. The Crimson Tide is one of three conference leaders across the nation that owns a three-game or more lead on the rest of the league (Houston in the AAC and Belmont in the OVC).

LSU is 11-5 overall and is in a tie for second at 6-3.

Alabama vs LSU

When: 6 p.m. CT, Wednesday

Where: Coleman Coliseum

TV: ESPNU, Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Dane Bradshaw (analyst)

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network with Chris Stewart (play-by-play), Bryan Passink (analyst) and Roger Hoover (sideline). Sirius/XM Channel: 83/83

The Series: It dates all the way back to 1915-16, and Alabama owns a 110-74 lead. The 184 meetings are the second-most Alabama has played against any single opponent, while the 110 wins rank as third best against any foe. Alabama boasts a record of 73-21 when playing LSU in Tuscaloosa, and a 42-9 mark in games played at Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide has won three of the last four meetings .

The anniversary: The game will be played nearly 51 years ago to the day (Feb. 7, 1970) that Pete Maravich set an NCAA Division I record with 69 points in a 106-104 loss at Alabama. The 6-foot-5 LSU senior known as "Pistol Pete" connected on 26 of 57 field-goal attempts that Saturday afternoon, and went 17 of 21 from the free-throw line.

Last Time Out (Crimson Tide): Alabama had its 10-game winning streak snapped when it fell at then-No. 24 Oklahoma, 66-61, last Saturday in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The Crimson Tide led 60-59 at the final media timeout but was outscored 7-1 over the game’s final minutes. The 10 consecutive wins was the longest winning streak since starting the 1996-97 season with 10 straight victories.

Last time out (Tigers): No. 10 Texas Tech scored 12 unanswered points in the final minutes to come from seven down to win at LSU, 76-71. Javonte Smart for the second time in his career and first time since his freshman year posted 29 points against Texas Tech, hitting 12-of-18 field goals with four three-pointers and a free throw. Cam Thomas had 25 points and before he got hurt had 11 points and nine rebounds in 21 minutes. LSU shot 43.1 percent (25-of-58) with nine treys and 12-of-18 free throws. Texas Tech out rebounded LSU, 41-29, and 16-10 on the offensive boards.

Scouting LSU: Freshman Cameron Thomas comes in leading the SEC in scoring at 22.3 points per game, and topping the Tigers in field goals made and attempted (106-of-268) and free throws made and attempted (109-of-122). Thomas is one of four Tigers who average double digits, along forward Trendon Watford (17.3 ppg), guard Javonte Smart (15.5 ppg) and Days. Combined with Thomas, the four average 67.2 of the team’s 82.9 points per game average – approximately 81 percent of the teams total scoring average.

Josh LeBlanc, a transfer from Georgetown, could replace Days in the starting lineup. Against Alabama last month, LeBlanc played 18 minutes, hitting all three field goal attempts, scoring six points with a season high six rebounds. ... Watkins hails from nearby Birmingham, Ala. ... Smart leads the team in minutes (34.5), assists (4.1) and three-point shooting (41-of-92, .446).