After winning a must-win game Thursday afternoon against Florida, Mississippi State faces yet another key game Friday against top-seeded Alabama in the quarterfinals of the 2023 SEC Tournament. The Crimson Tide won both matchups between the two earlier this season – 78-67 in Starkville, and 66-63 in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama comes into the 2023 SEC Tournament as the conference’s No. 1 overall seed, coming off a regular season in which they owned a 26-5 overall record, as well as a 16-2 mark in SEC play to become the 2022-23 SEC regular season champion. Led by head coach Nate Oats, Alabama is also considered as a one-seed for the upcoming NCAA Tournament, and could even potentially secure the No. 1 overall seed in March Madness with a strong showing in Nashville.
The Crimson Tide currently rank No. 6 nationally with an average of 82.8 PPG offensively, and are led by the 2022-23 SEC Player and Freshman of Year Brandon Miller at 19.6 PPG and 8 RPG. Also ranking No. 1 nationally in rebounding at 44.3 per game, Alabama is allowing 69.5 PPG on the defensive end, and have four others averaging at-least 7+ PPG in Mark Sears, Noah Clowney, Jahvon Quinerly, and Jaden Bradley.
As for Mississippi State, the Bulldogs defeated Florida in overtime by a final score of 69-68 in the second round Thursday afternoon to advance to the quarterfinals. The Bulldogs, who are currently sitting on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament, likely kept their tourney chances alive with the win, with Mississippi State’s record now sitting at 21-11 for the year.
Mississippi State is currently averaging 66.4 PPG for the year, while also ranking No. 8 nationally by only allowing 60.4 PPG to opponents. The Bulldogs are led by one of the SEC’s top frontcourt players in Tolu Smith, while Shakeel Moore, DJ Jeffries, Dashawn Davis, and Cameron Matthews are key names to know.
Alabama vs Mississippi State 2023 SEC Tournament Prediction
For Mississippi State, a win over Alabama could potentially guarantee the Bulldogs a spot in the NCAA Tournament. However, I still think that Alabama defeats the Bulldogs on Friday to move on to the semifinal round, while Mississippi State turns their attention to Selection Sunday. Prediction: Alabama 78, Mississippi State 69
What Channel is the Alabama vs Mississippi State Game On?
Alabama will face Mississippi State in a quarterfinal matchup at the 2023 SEC Tournament on Friday, March 10 at 1:00 PM ET from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN. The game will be available to watch on ESPN.
Alabama vs Mississippi State Live Stream
A live stream of the 2023 SEC Tournament quarterfinal matchup between Alabama and Mississippi State can be found on fuboTV here.