How to watch, listen to No. 12 Alabama basketball vs. No. 1 Arizona
Alabama basketball has reached its final marquee non-conference game after one of the most challenging slates in college basketball over the last month. The Crimson Tide will welcome No. 1 Arizona to Birmingham for the annual C.M. Newton Classic.
This is the return game of a semi-home-and-home series that began two seasons ago when Alabama faced Arizona at the Suns’ arena in Phoenix, a game the Tide lost handily after a competitive first half.
The game will be the fifth annual C.M. Newton Classic played at Legacy Arena in Birmingham. Alabama is 2-2 in the classic so far, with wins over Liberty (2023-24) and Illinois (2024-25) and losses to Davidson (2021-22) and Gonzaga (2022-23).
Arizona is off to as good of a start as any team in the country this year, coming into this game ranked in the top spot of the AP Poll. The Wildcats have a number of marquee wins already in the non-conference, including a 6-point win over Florida, a 4-point road win over UConn and a 29-point home win over Auburn.
Head coach Tommy Lloyd is in his fifth season at Arizona and has taken the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament every year he’s been in Tucson. He has two conference regular season titles and two conference tournament titles from his three years in the Pac-12 before Arizona left for the Big 12 prior to last season.
The Wildcats are led by star freshman big man Koa Peat, who’s established himself as one of the top NBA Draft prospects in the sport. They’re also led by former Alabama point guard Jaden Bradley, a starter on the Crimson Tide’s SEC championship squad in 2022-23 before spending the past three years of his career at Arizona. Other key players include 5-star guard Brayden Burries and Tennessee transfer forward Tobe Awaka.
Tipoff between Alabama and Arizona is set for 8:30 p.m. CT as the Tide looks for its fourth win over a No. 1-ranked team under Nate Oats.
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How to watch, listen and other key information
Opponent: No. 1 Arizona Wildcats (8-0)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 13
Tipoff time: 8:30 p.m. CT
Location: Birmingham, Ala.
Venue: Legacy Arena
Capacity: 17,654
Television: ESPN
– Play-by-play: Jon Sciambi
– Analyst: Fran Fraschilla
Streaming link: WATCH
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network
– Play-by-play: Chris Stewart
– Analyst: Bryan Passink
Satellite radio: CTSN on Sirius / XM 134 or 201
Varsity Network link: LISTEN
Series record: Alabama leads 3-2
Last Meeting: Dec. 20, 2023
– Arizona 87, Alabama 74
Point spread: Alabama -1.5
Alabama Statistical Leaders:
– Scoring: Labaron Philon Jr. (21.4 PPG)
– Rebounding: Amari Allen (7.7 RPG)
– Assists: Labaron Philon Jr. (5.4 APG)
Arizona Statistical Leaders:
– Scoring: Koa Peat (15.9 PPG)
– Rebounding: Tobe Awaka (10.0 RPG)
– Assists: Jaden Bradley (3.8 APG)
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