TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — If No. 2 Alabama needs to take house its second SEC Match title in three years, it should beat Mississippi State for a 3rd time this season. The highest-seeded Crimson Tide will open convention match play towards the No. 9 seed Bulldogs on Friday at midday CT inside Nashville’s Bridgestone area. Mississippi State superior to the matchup by recording a 69-68 time beyond regulation win over No. 8 seed Florida on Thursday.
Alabama (26-5) received each of its earlier conferences towards Mississippi State (21-11) this season, opening convention play with a 78-67 win in Starkville on Dec. 28 earlier than beating the Bulldogs 66-63 in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 25. A win Friday would mark the fifth time Alabama defeated Mississippi State three consecutive instances in a season for the reason that groups started taking part in in 1914.
“They performed us actually powerful the final time,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats mentioned of Mississippi State on Thursday. “They’re one of many hardest-playing groups in America, so we’re gonna have to come back able to go, clearly. Tolu Smith is likely one of the finest gamers within the league.”
“They are saying it’s exhausting to beat a crew 3 times. There’s some fact as a result of they’ve made changes, they usually’ll make one other adjustment.”
This is all the things it’s essential to know concerning the recreation.
Methods to watch
Who: No. 2 Alabama (26-5) vs. Mississippi State (21-11)
When: Midday CT, Friday, March 10
The place: Bridgestone Area, Nashville, Tennessee
Watch: ESPN (play-by-play: Karl Ravech; analyst: Jimmy Dykes; sideline: Marty Smith)
Hear: Crimson Tide Sports activities Community (play-by-play: Chris Stewart; analyst: Bryan Passink; engineer Tom Stipe)
Alabama’s projected starters
Jaden Bradley: 6-foot-3, 185 kilos, freshman
Stats: 7.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.3 apg, 40.9% FG, 31.8% 3-pt
Mark Sears: 6-foot-1, 185 kilos, junior
Stats: 13.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.6 apg, 42.7% FG, 37.7% 3-pt
Brandon Miller: 6-foot-9, 200 kilos, freshman
Stats: 19.6 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.8 apg, 45.3% FG, 40.4% 3-pt
Noah Clowney: 6-foot-10, 210 kilos, freshman
Stats: 10.0 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 0.9 apg, 48.8% FG, 26.5% 3-pt
Charles Bediako: 7-foot, 225 kilos, sophomore
Stats: 5.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 0.6 apg, 63.2% FG
Mississippi State projected beginning lineup
Dashawn Davis: 6-foot-2, 195 kilos, senior
Stats: 8.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.4 apg, 37.6% FG, 35.0% 3-pt
Shakeel Moore: 6-foot-1, 190 kilos, junior
Stats: 9.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.2 apg, 42.4% FG, 26.9% 3-pt
D.J. Jeffries: 6-foot-7, 225 kilos, senior
Stats: 9.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.8 apg, 35.2% FG, 26.9% 3-pt
Cameron Matthews: 6-foot-7, 225 kilos, junior
Stats: 7.4 ppg, 5.6, rpg, 2.4 apg, 48.2% FG, 15.2% 3-pt
Tolu Smith: 6-foot-11, 245 kilos, senior
Stats: 15.4 ppg, 8.3, rpg, 1.8 apg, 58.3% FG
Third time’s a allure?
Alabama beat seven SEC opponents by 20 or extra factors this season. Mississippi State wasn’t certainly one of them. The Crimson Tide overcame a gradual begin in its journey to Starkville in December earlier than erasing a double-digit deficit to hold on for a slim house win towards the Bulldogs in January. Driving the momentum of a dramatic time beyond regulation win over Florida, Mississippi State hopes it is going to have higher luck towards Alabama in a impartial setting Friday.
“I simply have a look at it as a beautiful alternative,” Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans advised reporters following Thursday’s win over Florida. “They’ve bought nice gamers, nice coaches. We’ve not been capable of beat them. We had two cracks at it. What a possibility and clearly a giant problem for us. I do know we’ll should play actually, very well.”
Mississippi State ahead Tolu Smith was a bit extra boisterous in his confidence when requested Thursday about having one other probability at knocking off the Tide
“I simply assume the third time’s the allure,” he mentioned. “I believe we’ve got a very good probability to get a win.”
Smith has recorded career-high level totals in back-to-back video games, placing up 28 factors and 12 rebounds towards Florida after dropping 27 factors and 11 boards throughout a loss to Vanderbilt final week. The 6-foot-11, 245-pound senior tallied 15 factors and 7 rebounds towards Alabama in Starkville however was restricted to only 5 factors and 6 boards throughout the recreation in Tuscaloosa.
Mississippi State’s greatest key will probably be stopping SEC Participant of the Yr, Brandon Miller, who leads the SEC in scoring (19.6 factors per recreation) and made 3s (92) whereas additionally averaging averaging 8.0 rebounds per recreation. Miller had 13 factors and 6 rebounds towards the Bulldogs in Starkville earlier than recording 19 factors and 11 factors throughout the recreation in Coleman Coliseum.
“It’s exhausting [to defend Miller], however I believe we bought some guys who’re prepared to take a seat down and lock in,” Smith mentioned. “… I don’t assume we’re fearful of no person. I believe we’re able to assault them.”
Alabama’s Mr. March
Popeye has his spinach, Mario has his magical mushrooms and Jahvon Quinerly has the month of March. The ultimate month of the season appears to supply an annual power-up for the Alabama guard, and this 12 months hasn’t been any completely different as he’s mixed for 36 factors on 12 of 23 capturing over the Tide’s two video games this month.
Excluding final season’s loss NCAA Match loss to Notre Dame when he tore his ACL roughly three minutes after tipoff, Quinerly has scored in double digits in all 13 of his different March video games with the Crimson Tide. That features a heroic run in 2021 when he eanred SEC Match MVP honors, averaging 15.6 factors 3.0 assists and a pair of.6 rebounds whereas main Alabama to its first convention match title in 30 years.
Earlier this week, Jahvon Quinerly was named SEC Co-Sixth Man of the Yr, sharing the distinction with Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves. Since getting back from his damage final November, he has appeared in 29 video games off the bench for the Crimson Tide this season, averaging 7.8 factors and a team-high 3.7 assists per recreation whereas capturing 39.2% from the ground and 34.3% from past the arc.
