Three Things to Watch for in Alabama Basketball's Road Test Against No. 14 Mississippi State
![Jan 25, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; LSU Tigers guard Curtis Givens III (3) passes the ball against Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears (1) during the first half at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images Jan 25, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; LSU Tigers guard Curtis Givens III (3) passes the ball against Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears (1) during the first half at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5791,h_3257,x_0,y_603/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/bama_central/01jjt20v4v9s3056axry.jpg)
The SEC basketball schedule is anything but easy. However, there are less difficult things to do than play a ranked Chris Jans team on the road in a midweek contest. Alabama head coach Nate Oats is aware of this, and he expects the No. 4 Crimson Tide (17-3, 6-1 SEC) to have its hands full inside Humphrey Coliseum against No. 14 Mississippi State (16-4, 4-3 SEC) on Wednesday night.
The Bulldogs have managed to defend home court fairly well thus far, with only one of the team's three losses in league play coming on its home floor (against then-No. 6 Kentucky on Jan. 11). Be that as it may, though, Mississippi State is 2-3 in its last five, and Alabama is yet to drop a road conference game despite two of the three such contests up to this point having been against ranked opposition.
Here are three things to watch for in the matchup, which tips off at 8:00 p.m. CT.
1. Can Mark Sears Bounce Back?
Alabama's star point guard has been dominating storylines entering this game, though perhaps not for the reasons some would expect. Specifically, Mark Sears was benched this past weekend in a win over LSU and did not play in the second half. He was scoreless during his 17 minutes of action, though that doesn't seem to have been the reason why he was taken out of the game. Oats said Tuesday that Sears had opened the week with the two best back-to-back days of practice since the latter had been at Alabama. Sears averages 18.1 points per game this season, despite the fact that he hasn't shot the basketball as well as he did last year.
2. Can Alabama's Defense Contain Josh Hubbard?
It's a given that guard play is as indispensable of a facet of successful basketball teams as any. Much in the way that Alabama has thrived on this, so too has Mississippi State. Bulldogs guard Josh Hubbard broke out as a freshman last season and was an All-SEC Second Team honoree. He's got plenty of intangibles, but one of his best attributes is that he can pull up and hit shots from anywhere on the floor. The sophomore leads his team in scoring with just over 16 points a game and has scored in double digits all but one time this season. Oats stressed the importance of neutralizing him Tuesday while observing that the Crimson Tide's defense has improved from where it was a year ago. Progress like that makes a difference when facing someone of Hubbard's caliber.
3. Can Alabama's Rebounding Be a Consistent Factor?
One of the reasons why Alabama had a tough time dealing with LSU last Saturday was struggles on the boards, particularly in the first 20 minutes. The Tigers' Corey Chest posted an astounding 15 rebounds in the first half of that game. He would finish with just three more by the time all was said and done, but when the final buzzer sounded, the Crimson Tide had still been bested in the rebounding category 43-41. Oats was so displeased with the first half rebounding that center Clifford Omoruyi began the second half on the bench, though he returned and saw improvement. Alabama has shown plenty of capability on the glass this season, and that will need to be present for 40 minutes in Starkville (as opposed to ramping up in the final 20) if the visitors are to have the best chance of securing a ranked road win.
See Also: Why It Will Be 'Ridiculously Hard' for Alabama Basketball to Defeat Mississippi State