Missouri-Alabama basketball preview
| P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
| F | 3 | Johnathan Williams III | 6-9 | Fr. | 6.1 |
| F | 44 | Ryan Rosburg | 6-10 | So. | 4.9 |
| G | 5 | Jordan Clarkson | 6-5 | Jr. | 18.8 |
| G | 32 | Jabari Brown | 6-5 | Jr. | 20.1 |
| G | 33 | Earnest Ross | 6-5 | Sr. | 14.3 |
| P | No. | Alabama | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
| F | 11 | Shannon Hale | 6-8 | Fr. | 8.0 |
| C | 10 | Jimmie Taylor | 6-10 | Fr. | 2.4 |
| G | 12 | Trevor Releford | 6-0 | Sr. | 19.0 |
| G | 21 | Rodney Cooper | 6-1 | Sr. | 9.3 |
| G | 32 | Retin Obasohan | 6-1 | So. | 10.0 |
7 p.m. Saturday at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
• TV/RADIO:ESPN2; KMBZ (980 AM, 98.1 FM)
• ABOUT MISSOURI (19-7, 7-6 SEC):The Tigers are making only their second trip to Tuscaloosa and the first since a 23-point loss in the second round of the 1996 Postseason NIT. … Missouri is riding a three-game win streak after outlasting Vanderbilt 67-64 on Wednesday night, but with a sixth straight NCAA Tournament berth still uncertain, now is the not the time for a stumble. … Juniors Jabari Brown and Jordan Clarkson continue to shoulder the scoring load along with senior Earnest Ross, but the Tigers’ freshmen trio of Wes Clark, Johnathan Williams III and Torren Jones combined for 18 points and 11 rebounds against the Commodores.
Everything begins with senior guard Trevor Releford, a Bishop Miege graduate, for the Crimson Tide. Despite drawing the opponents’ defensive focus each game, Releford ranks fifth in the SEC in scoring (19.0) and leads all Southeastern Conference guards with a 50.5 shooting percentage. He also leads the SEC in steals (2.2) and ranks fifth in three-point percentage (40.3). … Alabama is a much better team at home than on the road, so Missouri must limit turnovers to avoid the first-half doldrums that have occasionally plagued the Tigers.
• BOTTOM LINE:This story was originally published February 21, 2014 at 6:29 PM with the headline "Missouri-Alabama basketball preview."