Mississippi State men’s basketball travels to Alabama to face No. 18 Crimson Tide

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Mississippi State men’s basketball team begins a two-game road trip on Saturday when it faces the No. 18 Alabama Crimson Tide inside Coleman Coliseum. Tip time for the contest is set for 5 p.m. CT and will air on SEC Network.

The Bulldogs sit at 9-6 overall and 4-3 in Southeastern Conference play following Tuesday’s 64-46 home loss to rival Ole Miss. In that game, redshirt sophomore guard D.J. Stewart Jr. scored 18 points to lead MSU. Redshirt sophomore forward Tolu Smith was the only other Bulldog to score in double figures as he finished with 10 points.

Stewart and sophomore guard Iverson Molinar are the SEC’s top scoring duo in averaging 17.4 points per game apiece. Smith is averaging 13.5 points and a team-high 8.8 rebounds.

MSU enters its game at Alabama having won six of its last nine games, including a perfect 2-0 record in SEC road games. The Bulldogs are 5-0 when they make eight or more 3-pointers and 4-6 when they hit fewer than eight.

Alabama enters the contest with a 12-3 overall record and a perfect 7-0 record in SEC play after Tuesday’s 105-75 win at LSU. The red-hot Crimson Tide has won eight straight games and nine of their last 10. They have won five of their seven SEC decisions by 10-plus points.

Alabama is led by four players who average double-digit points. Senior guard John Petty Jr. leads the squad with 14.3 points. Sophomore guard Jahvon Quinerly is second on the team with 13.3, while sophomore guard Jaden Shackelford averages 13.1 and senior forward Herbert Jones is at 12.6.

The Crimson Tide has made 11.0 3-pointers per game this season, which ranks sixth among Division I teams. Alabama has averaged 13.0 triples per game over its eight-game winning streak.

Saturday’s contest will be the 204th meeting between the two programs on the hardwood. Alabama holds a 126-77 lead in the series, including an 81-15 mark in Tuscaloosa. The home team has won the last seven meetings in the series.