Three Things to Watch for in Alabama Basketball's Home Matchup Against LSU

Storylines and game info for the Crimson Tide's seventh SEC game in 2025 against the Tigers.

Jan 11, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide forward Mouhamed Dioubate (10) rebounds against the Texas A&M Aggies during the first half at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— No. 4 Alabama men's basketball (16-3, 5-1 SEC) is set to face LSU (12-6, 1-4 SEC) at home in Coleman Coliseum on Saturday night.

The Alabama and LSU men's basketball programs came into SEC play with the same record, but they've each had very different results when facing indisputably the nation's best conference this season. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. CT tipoff on SEC Network.

Here are three things to watch for in Saturday's matchup:

1. Alabama Can't Overlook LSU

Being a top-10 team in any sport has its perks, but it also often comes with the consequences and frequency of overlooking opponents. Alabama may be the heavy favorite, but head coach Nate Oats has no plans to fall into the overlooking trap once again like the Crimson Tide did against Ole Miss.

"LSU is capable of beating us at home," Oats said during Friday's press conference. "They've out-rebounded teams frequently enough and we've had an issue with some rebounding at times this year. They've gotten to the free-throw line, I think they're 10-0 when they've shot more free throws than their opponents. We have to be able to guard without fouling––we've had an issue with that. So some stuff we've had issues with they do well.

So, who are the LSU players that Oats expects his team to not overlook? Well, he first mentioned guard Cam Carter, who is fourth in the SEC in scoring when looking at just conference play. Oats said a plethora of other veteran Tigers "can definitely score the ball" and that they have "real rim protection" with forward Daimion Collins.

2. Can Alabama's Defense and Leadership Last 40 Minutes?

Oats admitted to Alabama's defensive issues of late as the Tide is 333rd in the country in points allowed per game (78.8), but this is a game he's aiming to see a whole 40 minutes of cohesive defense as he'd "like to see that one time." That said, this will not be an easy task.

"I hope we're mature enough, with enough seniors, and our leadership is good enough to know that these guys are more than capable of scoring it," Oats said. "They've got a lot of scores on the floor. And if we don't take care of the ball and make it real easy for them to score off our turnovers lately, we've got a problem."

3. Can Mouhamed Dioubate Shine Again

Alabama forward Derrion Reid will miss his fourth consecutive game tonight due to a lower-body injury. A couple of players have seen an increase in minutes over the past couple of games, but forward Mouhamed Dioubate has truly shined in Reid's absence.

This was most evident in the Tide's last game against Vanderbilt as Dioubate finished with 22 points on 8-for-9 shooting, while also grabbing 10 rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Dioubate becomes the fifth Alabama player under Oats to record a 20-plus point, 10-plus rebound performance.

"Huge game from Mo D again," Oats said after the Vanderbilt win. "Mo plays hard all the time. As evidence, he’s led the team in plus-minus the last two games––plus-21 against Kentucky and plus-26 tonight in his 23 minutes. You kind of know what you’re going to get out of Mo. He’s going to play hard, he’s going to be tough and he’s going to be physical."

Read More: How to Watch: No. 4 Alabama Basketball vs. LSU