The #9 Alabama Crimson Tide will take on the #20 Mississippi State Bulldogs on Wednesday, the first conference game for both schools. The Tide, 10-2 straight-up and 5-6-1 against the spread, defeated Jackson State 84-64 in their last game. The Bulldogs, 11-1 SU and 5-6-1 ATS, lost 58-52 to Drake in their last game, snapping their 11-game win streak.
The SEC foes split their past two meetings. MSU won 78-76 on Jan. 15, and Bama won 80-75 on Feb. 16 last season. The Bulldogs are 7-0 at home, and the Crimson Tide are 2-0 on the road this season. The Tide will be without Nimari Burnett (7.9 PPG), and Noah Clowney (9.5 PPG and 8.8 RPG) is questionable after sitting out the last game with an illness. The Bulldogs' Shawn Jones Jr. (4.0 PPG) and Shakeel Moore (7.1 PPG) are also questionable for Wednesday's game.
Tip-off from Humphrey Coliseum is at 9:00 p.m. ET. Alabama is a two-point spread fav orite, and the game total is 138.5 points.
Alabama is a national contender, with non-conference victories over Michigan State, North Carolina, and Houston, but has it lost its mojo after falling to Gonzaga? The Crimson Tide bounced back against an outmatched Jackson State team in the next game but will get their first true test since that loss on Wednesday. The Bulldogs were undefeated and now have some extra motivation to return to their winning ways after falling to Drake.
In the win over JSU, Alabama led by just one point at the halftime break but erupted for 51 second-half points to put away the Tigers. Bama shot 47.6 percent from the field but missed 20 three-pointers and nine of its 26 free-throw attempts. Senior forward Noah Gurley paced the Tide with 16 points, adding five rebounds and two blocks. Four other Crimson Tide players scored double-digit points.
It's Miller t ime!
??https://t.co/RenFqIehRQ#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/csE81058ln
— Alabama Men's Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) December 21, 2022
This season, Alabama is scoring 83.7 points per game, the 16th-highest scoring average in the country. It's shooting 43.9 percent from the field, 34.0 percent from distance, and 70.8 percent from the foul line. Alabama's offensive efficiency rating, adjusted for schedule, is ranked 20th, per KenPom. The Tide are also the best rebounding team in D-1, averaging 44.2 rebounds per contest.
Alabama is giving up 72.1 points on defense, and its opponents are shooting 38.9 percent from the field, including 29.0 percent from long range. Its adjusted defensive efficiency rating is ranked 19th-best. The Crimson Tide's assist-to-turnover ratio is 0.91, ranked 219th in the country.