The Alabama men’s basketball team will look to snap a three-game losing streak when it travels to Lubbock, Texas, to take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Wednesday at 7 p.m.  It will be the final non-conference road game of the season for the Crimson Tide.

The contest will be televised on ESPN3 and can also be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network, with Chris Stewart and Bryan Passink on the call on 95.3 FM in Tuscaloosa.

“Texas Tech plays similar to VCU from a defensive standpoint,” Alabama head coach Anthony Grant said. “They are going to press a lot. I think they are forcing 19 turnovers a game. They play very fast offensively, meaning after a missed shot or made basket, they are going to get the ball down the court fast. We have to be able to be able to take care of the basketball and execute offensively. We also have to get back defensively to prevent them from scoring in transition. It’s a similar prep to what we just faced.”

After beginning the season with six wins in November, the Crimson Tide (6-3) have lost three straight games to start the month of December. In order to snap that streak, Alabama will have to do better when it comes to taking care of the ball. In its last three contests, the Tide is averaging 14.0 turnovers per contest, including a season-high 18 miscues in the loss at VCU last Saturday.

Alabama continues to be led by a trio of guards in junior Trevor Releford and sophomores Rodney Cooper and Trevor Lacey. Releford tops the team in points (15.9 ppg) and steals (17). He is also one of the top three-point shooters (44.8 percent) and free throw shooters (89.5 percent) in the Southeastern Conference.

Cooper is second on the team in scoring with 13.5 points per game, and also leads the team with 4.7 rebounds a contest. Meanwhile, Lacey contributes 13.4 ppg and tops the team in assists per game (3.8) and threes made (19). His 45.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc leads Alabama and ranks second in the SEC.

Texas Tech (5-2) comes into the contest having dropped two of its last three games, most recently falling at home to McNeese State, 80-75, on Sunday. Wednesday’s match-up will mark the eighth consecutive home game for the Red Raiders this season.

Junior forward Jaye Crocket leads a trio of Texas Tech players who average in double-figures, pouring in 15.6 points per game. Crocket also leads the team in rebounds per game (8.6), field goal percentage (64.1 percent) and free throw percentage (79.3 percent).

Freshman guard Josh Gray (11.9 ppg) and junior forward Dejan Kravic (11.3 ppg) also average double-digits for Texas Tech. Gray tops the squad in assists (2.9) and steals (3.0) per game, while Kravic is the Red Raiders’ top shot-blocker with 11 swats this season.

As a team, Texas Tech comes into its game with Alabama ranked fourth in the country in steals, averaging 11.6 takeaways a contest. The Red Raiders also rank 19th nationally in points per game (80.3) and are 23rd in turnover margin (4.4).

Alabama and Texas Tech will play for the seventh time in series history, with the Crimson Tide owning a 5-1 advantage in games played between the two teams.

Wednesday night’s contest marks the first time the Tide and Red Raiders have squared off in nearly 30 years. The last meeting between the two schools on the hardwood came on Dec. 18, 1983 in a tournament which was played in Osaka, Japan.

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