SEC Tournament How to Watch: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 9 Mississippi State
Last time Alabama basketball played in Nashville for the SEC Tournament, it was the No. 1-seed and went on to win the whole thing.
The Crimson Tide is in the same position this season, and the similarities don't stop there. Like last time, Alabama's first opponent in the tournament will be Mississippi State.
Under first-year head coach Chris Jans, the Bulldogs are on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament and fighting for a birth. An overtime win over Florida Thursday was a step in the right direction, but a win over Alabama Friday would lock up Mississippi State a spot in the tournament.
Here's everything you need to know about Alabama's first game of the SEC Tournament:
How to Watch Alabama vs. Mississippi State
Who: No. 1 Alabama (26-5, 16-2 SEC) vs. No. 9 Mississippi State (21-11, 9-10 SEC)
When: 12 p.m. CT, Friday
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-By-Play: Chris Stewart; Analyst: Bryan Passink). The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.
Series: Alabama leads 132-78
Last Meeting: Alabama swept Mississippi State in the regular season, but the second meeting in Tuscaloosa was a lot closer than the first matchup. The Bulldogs held a seven-point halftime lead, but Alabama made the comeback in the second half.
Last Time Out, Alabama: The Crimson Tide lost its regular season finale at Texas A&M. Alabama really struggled from the beyond the arc again, only shooting 19 percent. Turnovers were also costly for the Crimson Tide with 18 total.
Alabama also once again got off to a slow start and faced a 15-point deficit in the second half. Despite the poor shooting and turnovers, the Crimson Tide came all the way back to take the lead late in the game, but could not hold on for the win.
Last Time Out, Mississippi State: The Bulldogs went to overtime against Florida in Thursday's first game in Nashville, which is a good sign for the Crimson Tide, who will be coming off a six-day break between games. After a wild final few minutes with multiple lead changes and ties, a Tolu Smith layup was the game-winning basket with five seconds left in overtime. Smith had 28 points for the Bulldogs.
Alabama leaders:
- Scoring: Brandon Miller (19.6 ppg)
- Rebounding: Noah Clowney (8.2 rpg)
- Assists: Jahvon Quinerly (3.7 apg)
See also:
Three Games in Three Days: No. 1 Alabama's Path to its Eighth SEC Tournament Title
Alabama Basketball: Key Focuses Heading into the SEC Tournament
