TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama will return home to take on No. 22/21 Mississippi State Bulldogs on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. CT. It will mark the first of two meetings this season between the teams. The rivals will square off for a second time just two weeks later in Starkville, Miss., on Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
Mississippi State and Alabama will meet for the 200th time in series history when the teams square off on Tuesday night. The Tide owns an all-time record of 124-75 in the series, including wins in 10 of the last 12 meetings and 14 of the last 18 overall between the two programs. The 199 games played and the 124 wins against Mississippi State marks the most for Alabama against any single opponent in each category in program history.
THE BROADCAST
• Tuesday's game will air on SEC Network with Dave Neal (play-by-play) and Andy Kennedy (analyst) on the call.
• The radio broadcast can be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network, Chris Stewart (play-by-play) and Wimp Sanderson (analyst) on the call. The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.
PROMOTIONS
• Avery Johnson Bobblehead Giveaway Night (first 2,000 fans in attendance).
NOTES YOU NEED TO KNOW
• The Crimson Tide is coming off a hard fought 73-68 loss at Baylor last Saturday in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The two teams had 12 ties and 12 lead changes with neither owning a lead by more than six points throughout the game's entirety. It was the first time in three Challenge games that Alabama lost, falling to 2-1 in three total games played in the annual event (defeated then-No. 12 Oklahoma, 80-73, last season and Texas Tech, 76-64) in the event's first year in 2013.
• Coming into Tuesday's game against Mississippi State, the Tide is ranked No. 44 in the latest NCAA Net Rankings (as of Jan. 28) and own the No. 18 overall strength of schedule. Alabama has played a total of 11 games against Quadrant 1 (2-4) and Quadrant 2 (5-0) opponents this season and boasts a record of 7-4 in such contests. The 11 total games played is tied for second in the SEC, while the seven combined wins are tied for third in the conference entering this week's action. Furthermore, Alabama has a perfect 5-0 record when playing teams ranked in Quadrant 2, which not only leads the SEC but ranks among 10 other schools in the nation to have played at least five opponents in Q2 without a loss.
• The Alabama reserves have been a strength of this year's team, averaging nearly 27 points per contest (26.8) entering the contest against Mississippi State. In fact, over the last six games alone, the UA bench is averaging 33.2 points per game and have scored 33 points or more five times over the six-game stretch. For the year, the Crimson Tide bench has been outscored just twice on the season and it outscoring its counterparts by 8.2 points per contest (26.8-18.4).
• The Tide is one of the top rebounding teams in the nation entering the game against Mississippi State. Alabama has won the rebounding battle in 17 of its 19 games this season. For the year, Alabama ranks second in the SEC and 28th nationally in rebounding margin (+6.2), outrebounding the opposition by an average of 39.1-32.9. In SEC games only, the Tide has outrebounded each of its six SEC opponents and leads the league in rebound margin at +6.8 (40.5-33.7).
• In addition to the total rebounds, Alabama is also one of the top offensive rebounding teams in the nation. The Tide is averaging 12.2 offensive rebounds per game, which ranks third in the SEC and 47th nationally. As a result, UA is outscoring the competition by +2.6 points per game in second chance points this season (12.8-10.2).
• Head coach Avery Johnson boasts a record of 13-11 when playing teams ranked in the Associated Press Top-25, including six consecutive wins at home and eight wins in the last 12 overall games played against ranked opponents. His record is even more impressive considering the Tide had lost 21 consecutive games against ranked opponents prior to his arrival.
• Alabama will next open the month of February when it begins a stretch of playing three of its next four games on the road when the Tide travels to take on in-state rival Auburn on Saturday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m. inside Auburn Arena. The contest will be televised on ESPN2.
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
• Mississippi State comes into Tuesday night's contest having won three of its last four games. Most recently, the Bulldogs captured a 92-84 victory over then-No. 16 Auburn on Saturday night in Starkville, Miss. The win improved State to 15-4 on the year and is now in a tie with Alabama for sixth place with a 3-3 record in SEC play
• Senior Quinndary Weatherspoon leads MSU with a 17.3 points per contest, which is tied for second in the SEC, while adding 5.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He also ranks third in the league in free throw percentage (.856) and is fourth in field goal percentage (.487). Three other Mississippi State players average double figures coming into the game at Alabama. Junior guard Lamar Peters ranks second on the team at 13.0 ppg, while leading the team and ranking sixth in the SEC with 5.9 assists a game. Senior forward Aric Holman tops the team with 2.3 blocks per contest, which is third in the league, while adding 11.4 ppg. Sophomore Nick Weatherspoon rounds out the double-digit scorers at 10.3 ppg.
• As a team, Mississippi State is averaging 78.4 points per game and outscoring the competition by 9.1 points (78.4-69.4). The Bulldogs rank fourth in the SEC in field goal percentage (.473) and assists per game (15.6), while ranking second in three-point field goal percentage (.376) and three-pointers made per game (9.1).
• Ben Howland, who is in his fourth season at the helm of the program, was named the 20th head coach in Mississippi State history on March 23, 2015. In four different stints as a head coach, Howland has a 471-255 (.649) record – Northern Arizona (79-59), Pittsburgh (89-40), UCLA (233-107) and Mississippi State (70-49, .588). He led UCLA to three-consecutive Final Fours, including a national runner-up finish in 2006.
ALABAMA-MISSISSIPPI STATE – SERIES NOTES
• Alabama and Mississippi State will meet for the 200th time in series history then the teams square off on Tuesday night. The Tide owns a 124-75 edge in the all-time series, including wins in eight of the last 10 contests played between the two teams.
• The 199 games played and the 124 wins against Mississippi State marks the most for Alabama against any single opponent in each category in program history.
• The two teams split its season series a year ago. Alabama claimed a narrow 68-62 victory over the Bulldogs in the first meeting this season, which was played on Jan. 20, 2018 at Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide jumped out to a 19-point lead at halftime, but had to withstand a second half surge from Mississippi State to hang on for the win. The second meeting featured eight ties and 11 lead changes, but it was a late 7-1 surge that broke a tie game and propelled the Bulldogs to a 67-63 victory. The win snapped Alabama's four-game win streak at the Hump.
• Alabama owns a record of 77-17 in all-time games against the Bulldogs at home, including a 40-9 mark at Coleman Coliseum.
• Coming into Tuesday's game, Alabama has been the dominant team in the series. The Crimson Tide has claimed victory in four of the last five, eight of the last 10 and 14 of the last 18 games played between the long-time rivals.
• The series, which first began during the 1912-13 season, has seen 14 overtime contests including the 2008-09 season's double-overtime affair. The Tide owns an 8-6 lead in such games.
• Sixty-five of the meetings have been decided by five or fewer points.
TOPPLING THE TOP 25
• Head coach Avery Johnson has led his teams to success when playing against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 during his time at the Capstone.
• In 24 total games played against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 (including NCAA Tournament contests), Johnson has led the Tide to a record of 13-11. That's a huge improvement, especially considering prior his arrival, Alabama had lost 21 consecutive games to nationally-ranked opponents.
• This season, the Tide is 2-1 against top-25 competition, with wins over No. 20 Ole Miss (74-53 on Jan. 22) and then-No. 13 Kentucky (77-75 on Jan. 5). The lone loss game against the current No. 1 team in the nation in a narrow 71-68 defeat at then-No. 3 Tennessee on Jan. 19.
• With its win over the Rebels, Alabama has now won six consecutive games at home over ranked opponents and improved to 8-4 in the last two seasons against top-25 teams. No other SEC teams have more than six wins ovef that same time span.
• The six-game home winning streak against ranked foes began with a resounding 79-57 win over then-No. 5 Texas A&M on Dec. 30, 2017 and includes victories over then-No. 17 Auburn (76-71 on 1/17/18), then-No. 12 Oklahoma (80-73 on 1/27/18) and then-No. 15 Tennessee (78-50 on 2/10/18).
• Last season, Alabama finished with six wins over ranked opponents, It was the most victories over top-25 teams in a single season in program history, topping the four victories over ranked foes which was set in four different seasons (1981-82, 1986-87, 2001-02 and in coach Johnson's first season in 2015-16).
SIDEARMLiveStats
#22 Mississippi State vs. Alabama (M Basketball)
Alabama Men’s Basketball Hosts No. 22/21 Mississippi State on Tuesday Night - University of Alabama Athletics
Mississippi State and Alabama will meet for the 200th time in series history when the teams square off on Tuesday night. The Tide owns an all-time record of 124-75 in the series, including wins in 10 of the last 12 meetings and 14 of the last 18 overall between the two programs. The 199 games played and the 124 wins against Mississippi State marks the most for Alabama against any single opponent in each category in program history.
THE BROADCAST
• Tuesday's game will air on SEC Network with Dave Neal (play-by-play) and Andy Kennedy (analyst) on the call.
• The radio broadcast can be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network, Chris Stewart (play-by-play) and Wimp Sanderson (analyst) on the call. The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.
PROMOTIONS
• Avery Johnson Bobblehead Giveaway Night (first 2,000 fans in attendance).
NOTES YOU NEED TO KNOW
• The Crimson Tide is coming off a hard fought 73-68 loss at Baylor last Saturday in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The two teams had 12 ties and 12 lead changes with neither owning a lead by more than six points throughout the game's entirety. It was the first time in three Challenge games that Alabama lost, falling to 2-1 in three total games played in the annual event (defeated then-No. 12 Oklahoma, 80-73, last season and Texas Tech, 76-64) in the event's first year in 2013.
• Coming into Tuesday's game against Mississippi State, the Tide is ranked No. 44 in the latest NCAA Net Rankings (as of Jan. 28) and own the No. 18 overall strength of schedule. Alabama has played a total of 11 games against Quadrant 1 (2-4) and Quadrant 2 (5-0) opponents this season and boasts a record of 7-4 in such contests. The 11 total games played is tied for second in the SEC, while the seven combined wins are tied for third in the conference entering this week's action. Furthermore, Alabama has a perfect 5-0 record when playing teams ranked in Quadrant 2, which not only leads the SEC but ranks among 10 other schools in the nation to have played at least five opponents in Q2 without a loss.
• The Alabama reserves have been a strength of this year's team, averaging nearly 27 points per contest (26.8) entering the contest against Mississippi State. In fact, over the last six games alone, the UA bench is averaging 33.2 points per game and have scored 33 points or more five times over the six-game stretch. For the year, the Crimson Tide bench has been outscored just twice on the season and it outscoring its counterparts by 8.2 points per contest (26.8-18.4).
• The Tide is one of the top rebounding teams in the nation entering the game against Mississippi State. Alabama has won the rebounding battle in 17 of its 19 games this season. For the year, Alabama ranks second in the SEC and 28th nationally in rebounding margin (+6.2), outrebounding the opposition by an average of 39.1-32.9. In SEC games only, the Tide has outrebounded each of its six SEC opponents and leads the league in rebound margin at +6.8 (40.5-33.7).
• In addition to the total rebounds, Alabama is also one of the top offensive rebounding teams in the nation. The Tide is averaging 12.2 offensive rebounds per game, which ranks third in the SEC and 47th nationally. As a result, UA is outscoring the competition by +2.6 points per game in second chance points this season (12.8-10.2).
• Head coach Avery Johnson boasts a record of 13-11 when playing teams ranked in the Associated Press Top-25, including six consecutive wins at home and eight wins in the last 12 overall games played against ranked opponents. His record is even more impressive considering the Tide had lost 21 consecutive games against ranked opponents prior to his arrival.
• Alabama will next open the month of February when it begins a stretch of playing three of its next four games on the road when the Tide travels to take on in-state rival Auburn on Saturday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m. inside Auburn Arena. The contest will be televised on ESPN2.
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
• Mississippi State comes into Tuesday night's contest having won three of its last four games. Most recently, the Bulldogs captured a 92-84 victory over then-No. 16 Auburn on Saturday night in Starkville, Miss. The win improved State to 15-4 on the year and is now in a tie with Alabama for sixth place with a 3-3 record in SEC play
• Senior Quinndary Weatherspoon leads MSU with a 17.3 points per contest, which is tied for second in the SEC, while adding 5.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He also ranks third in the league in free throw percentage (.856) and is fourth in field goal percentage (.487). Three other Mississippi State players average double figures coming into the game at Alabama. Junior guard Lamar Peters ranks second on the team at 13.0 ppg, while leading the team and ranking sixth in the SEC with 5.9 assists a game. Senior forward Aric Holman tops the team with 2.3 blocks per contest, which is third in the league, while adding 11.4 ppg. Sophomore Nick Weatherspoon rounds out the double-digit scorers at 10.3 ppg.
• As a team, Mississippi State is averaging 78.4 points per game and outscoring the competition by 9.1 points (78.4-69.4). The Bulldogs rank fourth in the SEC in field goal percentage (.473) and assists per game (15.6), while ranking second in three-point field goal percentage (.376) and three-pointers made per game (9.1).
• Ben Howland, who is in his fourth season at the helm of the program, was named the 20th head coach in Mississippi State history on March 23, 2015. In four different stints as a head coach, Howland has a 471-255 (.649) record – Northern Arizona (79-59), Pittsburgh (89-40), UCLA (233-107) and Mississippi State (70-49, .588). He led UCLA to three-consecutive Final Fours, including a national runner-up finish in 2006.
ALABAMA-MISSISSIPPI STATE – SERIES NOTES
• Alabama and Mississippi State will meet for the 200th time in series history then the teams square off on Tuesday night. The Tide owns a 124-75 edge in the all-time series, including wins in eight of the last 10 contests played between the two teams.
• The 199 games played and the 124 wins against Mississippi State marks the most for Alabama against any single opponent in each category in program history.
• The two teams split its season series a year ago. Alabama claimed a narrow 68-62 victory over the Bulldogs in the first meeting this season, which was played on Jan. 20, 2018 at Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide jumped out to a 19-point lead at halftime, but had to withstand a second half surge from Mississippi State to hang on for the win. The second meeting featured eight ties and 11 lead changes, but it was a late 7-1 surge that broke a tie game and propelled the Bulldogs to a 67-63 victory. The win snapped Alabama's four-game win streak at the Hump.
• Alabama owns a record of 77-17 in all-time games against the Bulldogs at home, including a 40-9 mark at Coleman Coliseum.
• Coming into Tuesday's game, Alabama has been the dominant team in the series. The Crimson Tide has claimed victory in four of the last five, eight of the last 10 and 14 of the last 18 games played between the long-time rivals.
• The series, which first began during the 1912-13 season, has seen 14 overtime contests including the 2008-09 season's double-overtime affair. The Tide owns an 8-6 lead in such games.
• Sixty-five of the meetings have been decided by five or fewer points.
TOPPLING THE TOP 25
• Head coach Avery Johnson has led his teams to success when playing against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 during his time at the Capstone.
• In 24 total games played against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 (including NCAA Tournament contests), Johnson has led the Tide to a record of 13-11. That's a huge improvement, especially considering prior his arrival, Alabama had lost 21 consecutive games to nationally-ranked opponents.
• This season, the Tide is 2-1 against top-25 competition, with wins over No. 20 Ole Miss (74-53 on Jan. 22) and then-No. 13 Kentucky (77-75 on Jan. 5). The lone loss game against the current No. 1 team in the nation in a narrow 71-68 defeat at then-No. 3 Tennessee on Jan. 19.
• With its win over the Rebels, Alabama has now won six consecutive games at home over ranked opponents and improved to 8-4 in the last two seasons against top-25 teams. No other SEC teams have more than six wins ovef that same time span.
• The six-game home winning streak against ranked foes began with a resounding 79-57 win over then-No. 5 Texas A&M on Dec. 30, 2017 and includes victories over then-No. 17 Auburn (76-71 on 1/17/18), then-No. 12 Oklahoma (80-73 on 1/27/18) and then-No. 15 Tennessee (78-50 on 2/10/18).
• Last season, Alabama finished with six wins over ranked opponents, It was the most victories over top-25 teams in a single season in program history, topping the four victories over ranked foes which was set in four different seasons (1981-82, 1986-87, 2001-02 and in coach Johnson's first season in 2015-16).
SIDEARMLiveStats
#22 Mississippi State vs. Alabama (M Basketball)
Alabama Men’s Basketball Hosts No. 22/21 Mississippi State on Tuesday Night - University of Alabama Athletics
