Bulldogs look for third straight win as they face Alabama
Mississippi State is looking for its third win in a row. The No. 14 Bulldogs are set to welcome in Alabama to the Humphrey Coliseum on Thursday night. The Crimson Tide comes in red hot, having won 10 of 11 games this season.
So what do you need to know headed into Thursday's affair? Here's a quick look at the game:
- What: Alabama (10-1, 3-1) at No. 14 Mississippi State (8-2, 3-1)
- Where: Humphrey Coliseum – Starkville, Mississippi
- When: 7 p.m. central on Thursday, January 14, 2021
- TV/Video: Online via SEC Network+
- Radio/Audio: MSU Radio Network (Click here for affiliates)
Payback Time?
MSU might enter Thursday's contest with a bit of a sour taste in its mouth as the last time these two teams got together, things didn't go so well for the Bulldogs.
Alabama upset State in Starkville last February. The Crimson Tide topped the Bulldogs 66-64 at the buzzer on that day. Alabama got an offensive rebound tip-in by Megan Abrams to win the game.
Of course that all came before Nikki McCray-Penson took over as head coach of the Bulldogs. Make no mistake about it though, she's aware of what happened last year and expects this year's Alabama team to be improved over the bunch that claimed victory in Starkville a season ago.
"They're very experienced and they're better," McCray-Penson said. "We've got to be ready."
Catching Up on the Crimson Tide
Alabama went undefeated over the non-conference portion of its schedule and has won three of its first four Southeastern Conference games with the only loss coming at the hands of currently-No. 5 South Carolina.
The Crimson Tide has had success in large part because of three standouts – forward Jasmine Walker, guard Jordan Lewis and forward Ariyah Copeland.
Walker averages a double-double with 20.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Meanwhile Lewis averages 15.8 points per contest. Copeland isn't far behind with her 15.7 points-per-game average. She also averages bringing down 8.2 boards per outing.
In a long list of things MSU has to do to win, McCray-Penson certainly has limiting Walker, Lewis and Copeland among the major factors that'll determine Thursday's outcome.
"They are who they are and they do what they do," McCray-Penson said of Alabama. "64 percent of their offense goes through (Walker, Lewis and Copeland). They understand how to get them the ball – when and where. And their role players play off of them and their role players are good.
"We know we have to be able to handle their big three."
Wiggins Watch
After missing the season's first seven games with a health issue, guard Xaria Wiggins was back on the court for the Bulldogs in games last week against Kentucky and Florida. However she missed last Sunday's game against Ole Miss due to an undisclosed issue. It seems there is a chance she misses Thursday's game as well.
"It's still up in the air," McCray-Penson said. "It's a game-time decision."
McCray-Penson did note that Wiggins participated in some "light things" on Tuesday.
Changes for the Better
As State battles Alabama, the memory of last Sunday is still relatively fresh for MSU. The Bulldogs narrowly defeated Ole Miss after watching a double-digit lead slip away before hanging on.
McCray-Penson said in her postgame comments on Sunday that her team looked to be tired and lacking energy against the Rebels. State's head coach said Wednesday her staff will do all it can from a practice standpoint to make sure the Bulldogs aren't getting worn down there.
"It's us just being mindful of our practices," McCray-Penson said. "Just going shorter with our practices and just getting in what we need to get in."
Aside from possible fatigue from the days preceding the Ole Miss game, McCray-Penson said another issue that might've impacted the game against the Rebels was that her club seemingly treated the day differently than others. That's something she doesn't want to see in the future.
"They did some things on game day that I hadn't seen," McCray-Penson said. "They were at the gym at 9 o'clock. I'm sitting here thinking, 'What are you guys doing here?' I think because they started so early, they ran out of gas when it came to game time. So that's not something we want to do. We want to continue to just stay in routine with our kids. You don't have to come to the gym early. Just stay in routine, even though I know it was against a rival team."
Mississippi State huddles up earlier this season. MSU welcomes Alabama to Starkville on Thursday. (Photo courtesy of Mississippi State athletics)
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