The Alabama Crimson Tide (26-5, 16-2 SEC) take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs (21-11, 9-10 SEC) Friday at Bridgestone Arena in the Southeastern Conference Tourney quarterfinals. Mississippi State edged past the Florida Gators 69-68 in overtime at Bridgestone Arena yesterday in the second round.
With 28 points and 12 rebounds, Tolu Smith had a standout performance. Alabama dropped their last game on Saturday at Reed Arena, falling to the Texas A&M Aggies 67-61 to close out their regular season. Brandon Miller recorded 19 points to top the scoresheet in defeat. With 11 points and seven rebounds, Noah Clowney also had an impressive game.
Alabama swept the season series against Mississippi State, earning the win in both of their meetings, the last of which was a 66-63 victory at Coleman Coliseum on January 25, their third straight head-to-head victory. Jahvon Quinerly led the Crimson Tide with 14 points, while Miller played a key role with 13 points. Smith had 15 points and seven rebounds in the losing effort.
The Bulldogs have been led this season by Smith, who is averaging 15.8 points per game. Smith also has grabbed 8.4 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Dashawn Davis is dishing 3.3 assists. Miller has supplied much of the Crimson Tide’s offense, averaging 19.6 points per game. Miller also has averaged 8.0 rebounds per game.
Quinerly has tallied 3.4 assists per game. The Bulldogs and the Crimson Tide are two of the top defenses in the country, ranking ninth and 14th in defensive efficiency, respectively.
In the last 10 games, Mississippi State is 7-3 with an average margin of +4.0 (68.2-64.2). For the season, the Bulldogs are averaging 66.4 points per game, compared to 60.7 for opponents. Alabama has gone 8-2 over the last 10, scoring 83.6 points per game on average while holding opponents to 68.9 (+14.7 margin).
BULLDOGS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Tyler Stevenson: 3.0 | 6.2 | -3.2
Points per game:
Tolu Smith: 20.4 | 15.8 | +4.6
Assists per game:
Dashawn Davis: 4.6 | 3.3 | +1.4
CRIMSON TIDE HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Jahvon Quinerly: 18.2 | 12.5 | +5.7
Noah Gurley: 0.6 | 7.6 | -7.0
Points per game:
Jahvon Quinerly: 11.4 | 7.3 | +4.1
Jaden Bradley: 3.0 | 7.3 | -4.3
Rebounds per game:
Charles Bediako: 7.0 | 5.6 | +1.4
Assists per game:
Jahvon Quinerly: 4.8 | 3.4 | +1.4
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Alabama -7.5 (-115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
