Tide faces tough challenge in Sin City

LAS VEGAS | After two games of the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic, the University of Alabama basketball team has faced two surprising threats at home in the Wofford Terriers and the Texas-Pan American Broncs.

Tonight at 7 p.m., the Crimson Tide gets a chance to see how it fares under the bright lights of Sin City — as Alabama plays Missouri State at Orleans Arena.

“I think we’re playing an excellent team,” Alabama coach Mark Gottfried said Thursday. “Missouri State has four seniors in their starting lineup. They won 22 games a year ago. They shoot the ball extremely well. They’ve got a big player in the middle who I like. He’s a really good player on tape, so we know they are an excellent team.”

Gottfried refers to Bears center Drew Richards – one of four Missouri State senior starters. And while at 6-foot-9, Richards will pose a challenge for Alabama’s Richard Hendrix on both ends of the floor, the Tide must also be concerned with 6-5 senior forwards Deven Mitchell (11.5 points per game) and Dale Lamberth (15.7 ppg).

Although Alabama’s wins earlier this week against Wofford and UTPA looked less impressive at the time, the Tide’s 80-73 triumph over Wofford was strengthened after the Terriers came back on the road to defeat Purdue 69-66 on Wednesday night.

The Crimson Tide (7-3) flew to Las Vegas on Thursday morning and practiced for a couple of hours that afternoon at a local high school. Teams were allowed on the floor for an hour of practice time in Orleans Arena on Friday, so Alabama practiced again to prepare for the Bears (7-3) in what will be a first meeting between the two schools in men’s basketball.

Hendrix comes into tonight’s game ranked seventh in the NCAA and first in the SEC in rebounding, grabbing 10.5 rebounds per game on top of his 18.7 points per game. Tide reserve guard Brandon Hollinger ranks eighth in the NCAA and first in the SEC in assist/turnover ratio, at four assists per turnover a game.

The last time Alabama played in Las Vegas was in UNLV’s Las Vegas Showdown during the 2004 season (the year Alabama advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight). Gottfried’s Tide team played the opening game of a doubleheader (Auburn played UNLV in the nightcap), and defeated Oregon 87-86.

The winner of the Alabama vs. Missouri State game plays the winner of the Iowa State vs. Purdue game on Sunday at 9:30 p.m. CT. The losers in those games play one another at 7 p.m. CT on Sunday.

None of the games in Las Vegas are televised, but fans can pay to watch the games online at www.lasvegasclassiconlinetv.com. Cost for viewing all of the tournament games online is $17.95, and $7.95 per game.

Other games today include Wofford vs. Texas Southern at 2 p.m., UT Pan-American vs. Bethune Cookman at 4:30 p.m. and Purdue vs. Iowa State at 9:30 p.m. CT.

Reach David Wasson at david.wasson@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0229.