One of them is that Alabama will be playing with the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week. Another is that Mississippi State has yet to win an SEC road game.
A week that included 31 points to lead a road win at LSU followed by 10 rebounds and nine points to help win a home game against South Carolina that put Bama in first place in the SEC Western Division has landed Alabama’s Jermareo Davidson as the SEC Player of the Week.
Davidson’s 31 points at LSU is the most any player in the SEC has scored in a league game so far this season.
The 6-foot-10 senior center from Atlanta was named SEC Player of the Week for January 9-15, 2006 as well after he scored 28 points and had 8 rebounds in Alabama’s win at Kentucky and 12 points and 13 rebounds in Alabama’s win at Auburn.
Davidson’s award marks the 27th time a Crimson Tide player has been named SEC Player of the Week and the first time this season. Terry Coner was Alabama’s first player ever honored by the league for his week’s work on January 14, 1985.
This week’s game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs could be a rarity in recent weeks in that it might not be a sellout in Coleman Coliseum, which seats over 15,000.
The game is one of only two remaining home games where tickets are still available for purchase to see the Crimson Tide this season. Tickets are available for the Wednesday night Mississippi State game and the home finale, the February 28 game against Ole Miss which will be at 7 p.m. CST. Home games against Kentucky on February 17 and Auburn on February 24 are sold out.
Alabama’s first four home SEC games (against LSU, Georgia, Arkansas, and South Carolina) were all sold out.
Alabama is leading the SEC with a modest 4-4 league record, a half game ahead of Auburn and Ole Miss. The Tide is 17-5 overall. Mississippi State is 3-5 in SEC games and 12-9 overall.
The Mississippi State game is “Bama Basketball Trading Card Night” where the first fans who arrive, tickets in hand, at the game will get a set of trading cards complete with each of Bama’s current team members. The Ole Miss game will also mark a fun collectable where the first ticketed fans through the games will receive a free Tide Basketball metal lunch box. Alabama’s lone senior, All-SEC center Jermareo Davidson will be honored at the Ole Miss for “Senior Night” which celebrates his four-year UA career.
Fans are encouraged to order tickets online at www.rolltide.com and use the “print at home” feature. More than 2,000 tickets this basketball season have used the “print at home” feature which allows customers to avoid mailing costs or stand in the Will Call lines.