Dec 7, 2006, 15:45 GMT
South Bend, IN - The fourth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide will attempt to avoid an upset in tonight's non-conference road clash with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Alabama is a perfect 7-0 thus far and has five double-digit victories under its belt. The most recent came on Saturday by a 78-60 final over Tennessee State. While most of the opponents that the team has faced have been rather weak, the Tide did knock off Big Ten foe Iowa and Atlantic 10 power Xavier on back-to-back nights last month. SEC play begins on January 6th, and Alabama will certainly be challenged regularly by opponents such as LSU, Florida and Kentucky.
As for Notre Dame, it has won all four of its home games to date and owns a 6-1 overall record. The club has reeled off five straight victories since its only loss of the season, a two-point setback to a Butler squad that is now nationally ranked. On Sunday, the Fighting Irish put forth a tremendous effort in an 81-74 victory over Maryland.
Notre Dame holds a 2-1 edge in the all-time series with Alabama, including last season's 78-71 victory over the Tide.
Four of Alabama's five starters scored in double figures in the romp over Tennessee State last time out. Jermareo Davidson led the way with 22 points, eight rebounds and five blocks, and Mykal Riley nailed 4-of-6 three-pointers en route to 14 points. All-American point guard Ronald Steele returned from injury to post 12 points and five assists, and Alonzo Gee rounded out the foursome with 11 points. The Tide connected on 54.9 percent of its field goal attempts in the tilt, including 9-of-15 from behind the arc. Defensively, the team limited its opponent to 34.3 percent shooting from the floor. A balanced attack has enabled Alabama to average 75.6 ppg through seven outings, while strong team defense has held foes to 58.3 ppg on 33.8 percent overall shooting. Davidson is posting 15.3 ppg, 10.7 rpg and 4.0 bpg, and Gee is close behind in scoring with 14.9 ppg. Richard Hendrix adds 12.9 ppg, and Steele is posting 12.6 ppg with 27 assists against 10 turnovers.
Notre Dame has had no trouble generating offense this season, as the club is racking up 84.4 ppg on 51.2 percent shooting from the floor. Defensively, the team is limiting foes to 62.3 ppg. Rob Kurz has been outstanding for the Fighting Irish, as he is netting 15.4 ppg on 66.0 percent shooting from the field to go along with 8.0 rpg. Russell Carter checks in with 15.1 ppg, and Colin Falls is contributing 12.9 ppg. The fourth and final double-digit scorer is Luke Harangody with 12.6 ppg for Notre Dame, which is pulling down 12.1 rpg more than its opponents. Kyle McAlarney tallied 18 points on 4-of-6 shooting from three-point range for Notre Dame in the win over Maryland last time out. Kurz tallied 16 points despite foul trouble, and Falls finished with 14 points despite a 1-of-8 effort from long range. As for Carter, his 13 points and four steals certainly helped the cause.
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