3 keys for Alabama to win SEC rematch vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs

For the first time this season, the Alabama Crimson Tide will face an opponent they have already played once before this year, doing so Wednesday night with a rematch against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

An opponent which Alabama previously defeated in Starkville back on Jan. 13, 97-82, the Crimson Tide started a bit slow in that contest, a game which took place immediately after back-to-back SEC losses to Vanderbilt and Texas.

Alabama used a big second half though to pull away for the victory, which was the Crimson Tide’s ninth-straight win against Mississippi State dating back to the 2021-22 season. As for the upcoming rematch, will Alabama now make it 10 in a row Wednesday night?

Here are three keys for the Crimson Tide to win Wednesday night’s rematch against the Bulldogs in Tuscaloosa.

1. Limit production of guard Josh Hubbard

One of the most talented scoring guards in college basketball, there are few players in the SEC who have the ability to take over a game offensively more than Mississippi State’s Josh Hubbard. Hubbard, who is averaging 22 points a game this season, led the Bulldogs with 23 points on 6-of-16 shooting from the field in the previous matchup, and if Alabama can limit the offensive production of the guard Wednesday night, then it would go a long way to a potential Crimson Tide win.

2. Control the pace offensively

Few teams across college basketball can match the offensive scoring pace of Alabama, with the Crimson Tide at the moment leading the nation with an average of 92.6 points per game, compared to only 78.3 for Mississippi State. To keep it simple, if the pace favors Alabama, then it will likely result in a Crimson Tide win, as the faster play will result in the Bulldogs unable to keep up offensively on the scoreboard.

3. Avoid a slow start

Lastly, while Alabama did pull away in the second half to win the first meeting between the two, there is no denying that the Crimson Tide put themselves in a hole early due to a slow start, eventually leading by only two at halftime. The Crimson Tide need a fast start here in the rematch, and if that happens, then Wednesday night’s game could end up looking similar to the last two years’ games in Tuscaloosa.

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