Live Updates: No. 2 Alabama Basketball at No. 13 Purdue

Follow along for big moments and scores from a matchup featuring two 2024 Final Four programs.

Dec 9, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats reacts after a call during the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Following two sloppy single-digit victories over Arkansas State and McNeese State, No. 2 Alabama is aiming for a statement win against No. 13 Purdue on Friday night, as it's the Crimson Tide's first game of the year on the road.

Additionally, Alabama is set to begin its gauntlet of a slate against several ranked teams over the next month, starting with Boilermakers tonight at 6 p.m. in Mackey Arena. A big win over a fellow 2023-24 Final Four team and National Championship runner-up can change the Tide's momentum in advance of the next few challenging games.

Follow along for live updates from this heavyweight matchup as we'll be keeping track of big moments and scores while providing analysis.

BE SURE TO REFRESH THIS PAGE AS THE MOST RECENT EVENTS WILL BE PLACED AT THE TOP.

Second Half

• TV Timeout (11:17 left in 2H): Alabama 62, Purdue 59: Alabama's renowned fast-paced offense has finally started to show as they're getting it done from behind the arc and on the interior. However, a couple of turnovers, including an offensive foul by Sears, plus a couple of makes inside by the Boilermakers has kept this game at gridlock.

• TV Timeout (15:56 left in 2H): Alabama 51, Purdue 51: Both teams have started to shoot from outside, something they each struggled with to open the game and then abandoned it the rest of the first half. Sears hit his first three of the night, but right after the bucket Cliff Omoruyi was holding his groin and walked gingerly to the bench with under 17 minutes left in regulation. Shortly after, Grant Nelson had an emphatic dunk to quiet the crowd a bit until Loyer's layup tied it.

First Half

• HALFTIME: Purdue 42, Alabama 40: Both teams went inside for better looks to close the half, which drew fouls. Alabama took its first lead of the night after Sears' FTs and took its 2nd lead in the same method with only a few seconds left. But, Loyer hit from deep at the buzzer.

Alabama vs. Purdue Halftime Stats / Obtained from StatBroadcast

• Purdue Timeout (4:27 left in 1H) Purdue 31, Alabama 30: Alabama has started to hit its shots as Labaron Philon scored seven-straight points for the Tide (now up to 10 total), including Alabama's first three of the night with just under six minutes left in the first half.

• TV Timeout (7:33 left in 1H): Purdue 26, Alabama 21 Alabama forward Mo Dioubate was all over the floor for in just two minutes of action as he nailed four free throw attempts, grabbed two rebounds and a block. But the Tide's physicality slowed down a bit due to the rapid passing by Purdue guards Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer.

• TV Timeout (11:31 left in 1H): Purdue 15, Alabama 11: Purdue controlled the boards early but Alabama's sudden jolt of energy evened it up and than took the lead 10-8 in that stat category both offensively and defensively. The Tide is yet to make one from downtown, but the aggressiveness inside is beginning to show.

• TV Timeout (15:09 left in 1H): Purdue 5, Alabama 2: Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn gets the scoreboard running with a three at the shot clock buzzer two whole minutes into the game; Alabama center Cliff Omoruyi gets the Crimson Tide's first bucket with an alley-oop dunk via forward Grant Nelson's pass. Both teams are a combined 3-of-14 to start this heavyweight matchup with some solid defense overall.

Pregame

Alabama Starting Lineup:

• G Mark Sears
• G Latrell Wrightsell Jr.
• F Jarin Stevenson
• F Grant Nelson
• C Cliff Omoruyi

Purdue Starting Lineup:

• G Fletcher Loyer
• G Braden Smith
• G GiCarri Harris
• F Trey Kaufman-Renn
• C Will Berg

How to Watch: No. 2 Alabama at No. 13 Purdue

Who: No. 2 Alabama (3-0, 0-0 SEC) at No. 13 Purdue (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten)

When: Friday, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. CT.

Where: Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Ind.

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-By-Play: Chris Stewart, Color: Bryan Passink). The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.

TV: Peacock

Series: Purdue leads 6-3 with the first matchup occurring on Nov. 26, 1976.

Last meeting: The Crimson Tide fell to Purdue 92-86 in the Hall of Fame Series event in Toronto. Alabama point guard Mark Sears and Boilermakers center Zach Edey, two of college basketball's best last season, went bucket-for-bucket as each of them tallied 35 points. Purdue guard Braden Smith's 27 points were also pivotal for the Boilermakers while the Tide's next-highest scorers (Mohamed Wague and Grant Nelson) had 11 apiece. Alabama's method of scoring was often via the three-point line as Sears went a stellar 8-of-16 from deep, but Purdue's plethora of free throws, including an 11-of-11 slate by Edey, helped them escape with a win.

Last time out, Alabama: No. 2 Alabama men's basketball defeated McNeese State 72-64 on Monday night in Coleman Coliseum, but as the score suggests, this was far from an easy victory. The Crimson Tide was up by as much as 21 points early in the second half––much thanks to forward Grant Nelson's 14 points before the break––but a big run by the Cowboys combined with some major offensive struggles by Alabama made this game much closer than it should've been.

Last time out, Purdue: Like the Crimson Tide, the Boilermakers also survived a single-digit home battle against a non-power four program in Yale on Monday, 92-84. The aforementioned Braden Smith led the way by filling the stat sheet with 22 points on 7-of-16 from the field, including 4-of-8 from downtown, nine rebounds, six assists and an incredible five steals.