Three Things to Watch For in Alabama's Home Matchup Against Mississippi State

Storylines and game info for the Crimson Tide's 15th SEC game in 2025 against the Bulldogs.

Jan 29, 2025; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Chris Youngblood (8) reacts after a three point basket against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the second half at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Wesley Hale-Imagn Images | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Then-No. 4 Alabama men's basketball took down then-No. 17 Kentucky 96-83 on Saturday evening to avoid a three-game losing streak in the final stretch of the season. The Crimson Tide was on its third of a seven-game end-of-season gauntlet that only features ranked opponents.

Newly ranked No. 6 Alabama's next matchup is at home against No. 24 Mississippi State on Tuesday night. The Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs already went head-to-head in January in one of the best games of SEC play this season.

Here are three things to watch for in Coleman Coliseum and on ESPN2:

1. Where Nate Oats Wants to See Improvement

This will be the second time Alabama and the Bulldogs meet this year as the Crimson Tide came out on top 88-84 in a thriller on the road on January 29. An exciting outcome like this one should've provided some momentum for the winning team over the course of its next few games.

However, this hasn't exactly been the case for the Crimson Tide as it's 4-2 since that night after being 6-1 in SEC play before it. Alabama's scored more points per game since the first Mississippi State game compared to the conference contests before it. But head coach Nate Oats and company have been worse in nearly every other stat category since.

"I'd have to go back and look at where we were at exactly on everything there," Oats said during Monday's press conference. "But we need to get the rebounding back, we need to get the turnovers down and we need to get a defensive mindset back where it's at for the whole 40 minutes."

2. Can the Crimson Tide Stop Josh Hubbard?

Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard finished the first game against Alabama with 38 points on 14-for-28 shooting, including 6-for-15 from behind the arc. He played in 36 of the game's 40 minutes and 25 of his points came in the second half.

Alabama has really struggled throughout the season against the opposing team's best player, and Hubbard had one of the best performances. However, last game against Kentucky guard Otega Oweh finished the game with two points on 1-for-9 from the field and even fouled out with just under seven minutes remaining in regulation. It was the first time he hadn't scored in the double digits in the entire season.

“We can’t give him what we gave him the first game,” Oats said. “That obviously didn’t work very well. It’s going to be some adjustments made, I’m sure they’re going to make some adjustments. We did win, so we exploited some stuff they did. We’re gonna have to make adjustments to their adjustments, as are they.”

3. Will Chris Youngblood Dominate Again?

Hubbard went bucket-for-bucket with Alabama guard Chris Youngblood in the first game as the offseason transfer finished a jaw-dropping 7-for-10 from behind the arc, leading to a 23-point outing. Both halves were very back-and-forth, but when the Bulldogs got hot, Youngblood was the ultimate silencer.

"Just stick to the script," Youngblood said in the postgame press conference when asked what his message was in the huddle, as he was frequently the voice of it. "On the road, the crowd goes crazy at the free-throw line, they're going to be loud regardless, but just don't let them rattle you. Stick to the script and just focus on what we've got to do because when we get a bucket the crowd goes quiet."

Youngblood's been a valuable asset to the Crimson Tide since that night but he hasn't had a performance near that spectacular one. Is tonight the night for another big game for Youngblood?