SEC Tournament: Alabama basketball vs. Mississippi State live stream, odds, channel, prediction
Alabama basketball begins the SEC Tournament by taking on the Mississippi State Bulldogs as they look to keep strengthen their resume for March Madness.
One of the big subplots from the SEC Tournament dissipated on Thursday when Kentucky’s dreams of stealing the league’s automatic bid went up in smoke at the hands of Mississippi State. The Bulldogs can ruin another one today by knocking off Alabama as the Crimson Tide tries to secure a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Alabama won the SEC’s regular-season title behind a rugged defense, which KenPom currently ranks as the third most-efficient unit in the nation, and an offense that can get hot from beyond the arc. That formula worked well for the Crimson Tide as they dominated the SEC early on but Alabama has begun to play tighter games of late.
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It is fair to say that Alabama is playing with increased expectations now, putting more pressure on the Crimson Tide to take care of business against teams they should beat. Pressure comes with the territory of playing in March and the SEC Tournament is the perfect opportunity for Alabama to experience a win-or-go-home scenario ahead of March Madness.
There is little pressure on Mississippi State, which knows that they aren’t going to the NCAA Tournament unless they win the SEC’s automatic bid in Nashville. The Bulldogs should, theoretically, be the more aggressive team since they have nothing to lose, making this a dangerous game for Alabama to deal with.
The Crimson Tide also had some difficulty dealing with the Bulldogs during the regular season, winning their matchups by a combined total of 13 points. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Mississippi State give Alabama everything they can handle once again.
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