Mississippi State (9-6, 4-3) vs. No. 18 Alabama (12-3, 7-0)
Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Saturday, 6 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: No. 18 Alabama looks for its fifth straight win over Mississippi State at Coleman Coliseum. The last victory for the Bulldogs at Alabama was a 67-61 win on Feb. 20, 2016.
TEAM LEADERSHIP: The junior duo of D.J. Stewart Jr. and Tolu Smith has led the Bulldogs. Stewart is averaging 17.4 points while T. Smith is putting up 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. The Crimson Tide have been led by seniors Herbert Jones and John Petty Jr.. Jones has averaged 12.6 points and 5.7 rebounds while Petty has put up 13.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
DIALING IT UP A NOTCH: The Crimson Tide have scored 87.6 points per game against conference opponents so far, an improvement from the 76.8 per game they managed against non-conference foes.DOMINANT D.J.: Stewart has connected on 38.1 percent of the 63 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 4 of 17 over his last three games. He’s also made 70.7 percent of his free throws this season.
UNBEATEN WHEN: The Crimson Tide are 9-0 when they turn the ball over 14 times or fewer and 3-3 when they exceed 14 turnovers. The Bulldogs are 5-0 when they make eight or more 3-pointers and 4-6 when the team hits fewer than eight from long range.
STREAK SCORING: Alabama has won its last four home games, scoring an average of 85.8 points while giving up 65.8.
DID YOU KNOW: Alabama as a team has made 11 3-pointers per game this season, which is sixth-best among Division I teams. The Crimson Tide have averaged 13 3-pointers per game over their eight-game winning streak.
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