Postcard from Phoenix Ahead of Alabama Basketball vs Arizona

BamaCentral's Blake Byler is on the scene out west to bring you coverage of the Crimson Tide's last major non-conference test.

PHOENIX — I've never been further west than Texas before, so this is a unique experience.

After a full day of travel yesterday, I arrived in Phoenix, Arizona to experience some of the city ahead of Alabama basketball's massive game against No. 4 Arizona tonight at the Footprint Center, the home of the Phoenix Suns.

The first item on the list: getting some authentic Mexican food.

After that, myself along with Jacob Pickle, a co-host alongside me on the Blue Collar Unplugged Podcast, and also the president of Crimson Chaos, took a ride down to Glendale to get a tour of State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals.

State Farm Stadium is also where the Alabama Crimson Tide hoisted the trophy in January of 2016 to celebrate the 2015 national championship with a 45-40 win over Clemson. But back then, it was known as University of Phoenix Stadium.

Tonight, we'll head over to the Footprint Center as the Crimson Tide has one final chance to secure a signature non-conference win after facing three consecutive AP top-10 teams. 

While Alabama remains unranked in the AP Poll with a 6-4 overall record, the analytics continue to think highly of the Crimson Tide and haven't majorly dropped them with losses to high-quality teams. Alabama holds a No. 9 ranking in KenPom, and sits at No. 10 in the NET.

The game is a late one, with a 10 p.m. CT tipoff, so take an afternoon nap or brew some late-night coffee. I will have all of your coverage here at BamaCentral.

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