Oats Eyes Pettiford as Auburn Threat

0:00On March 6, Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats is paying close attention to Auburn Point Guard to hide Petty Ford ahead of their matchup on Saturday. March 7. The sophomore has stepped up his game lately, averaging 15.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game this. Season. Oats called him an elite score, who's gotten more aggressive since their last meeting almost a month ago. Petty Ford dropped 25 points in 7 assists when Auburn fell to Alabama by 4 back in February. Since then, he's notched three straight 20 plus point games, including 24 against Ole Miss and 27 versus LSU, where he also grabbed a season high four steals. His field goal percentage sits at 39% overall, but he's heating up at the right time. Oats knows Auburn leans on Petty Ford for buckets, and he's worn his number 16 Crimson Tide team, now 22 and 8 overall in 12. And 5 in the SEC to stay locked in.

1:01He's got plenty of respect for talented guards in the league, after seeing Arkansas freshman Darius Acuff pour in 49 points in a town. Double overtime lost recently, and Georgia's cannon catchings hit a career high 32 against them too. Meanwhile, Oats flagged Auburn's leading scorer, Keeshawn Hall, as another big threat, averaging 20.6 points on over 45%. Shooting. Petty Ford's own career high of 30 points came back in December against Arizona, so Alabama can't afford any slip-ups with these guards. The Tide host the Tigers at 7 pm, Central Time and Coleman Coliseum on ESPN 2, wrapping up the regular season with plenty on the line for both sides.