Three Factors That Influenced Mississippi State's Loss to Alabama
The Mississippi State basketball team lost to Alabama 82-74 on Saturday night. The Bulldogs fall to 12-4, including a 1-2 record in the SEC.
Mississippi State couldn't get the job done in front of a sold-out Humphrey Coliseum, and there were many factors from the game that influenced the outcome. Here are three of them:
1. Abysmal Free-Throw Shooting
This is perhaps the most obvious reason for the loss. Mississippi State shot well from downtown and inside the arc, but when they reached the charity stripe they couldn't consistently score.
The Bulldogs ended the first half converting just four of their 10 attempts. By the end of the game, they hit 15-of-27. Despite being in front of a home crowd, their late free-throw attempts are what truly killed them.
Down 76-74 with two minutes remaining, Mississippi State forward Tolu Smith III went to the line to shoot two but missed both. Sitting at the same score with 34 seconds left, forward Cameron Matthews also missed both. Alabama guard Mark Sears converted his late free throws to make it a two-possession game, but when Mississippi State guard Shakeel Moore went to the line, he also missed twice.
2. Second-Half Sloppiness
Although the scoring total in the second half was similar to the first, both teams didn't shoot very well in the final 20 minutes. This game was a great example of the physicality and scrappiness that comes with SEC basketball — A lot of tough drives to the basket with contact, several hands grabbing rebounds and defenders giving little space.
Both teams combined for 25 turnovers (13-12 Alabama), 12 blocks (7-5 Mississippi State) and they each stole the ball from each other seven times in this sloppy battle.
Mississippi State closed the first half shooting 15 of 28 (53.6 percent) from the field, including 4-for-6 (66 percent) from downtown. The Bulldogs finished the game shooting 26 of 61 (42.6 percent), including 7-for-17 (41.2 percent) from deep. At first glance, these end-of-game numbers aren't too bad, but the difference between the first and second half was very apparent.
There were many instances where Alabama went on scoring droughts, but Mississippi State's inconsistencies, whether it be from outside the arc or missing several putback attempts, didn't allow them to take advantage.
3. Alabama's Big Three
As previously stated, like Mississippi State, the Crimson Tide didn't shoot very well as a team. However, there was a clear "big three" for Alabama.
Guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. came into Saturday averaging a little over six points per game, but by halftime, he had already scored 10 off the bench. Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard played a bit less than usual due to foul trouble and Wrightsell took advantage once again in the second half, as he ended the night with 19 points on 6 of 11 from the field, including a stellar 5 of 9 from behind the arc.
Fellow guards Rylen Griffen and Mark Sears were the other members of the trio. Mississippi State forward Cameron Matthews got into foul trouble and these two took advantage of his and also Hubbard's absence by combining for 39 points. Many of their buckets stemmed from driving inside for easy layups, which was another major factor in the outcome.
