Mississippi State rolled into Tuscaloosa tonight to face Alabama, but things didn’t go very well for them in a 111-73 Tide win.
Alabama had infamously started off poorly in three consecutive games, but that wouldn’t be a problem tonight. The Tide came roaring out of the gate with hot shooting and relentless defense. Mark Sears led the way again on both ends of the floor, and his effort seemed to rub off on his teammates. He and Chris Youngblood made four threes apiece on 11 combined attempts as the Tide ran Mississippi State out of the gym for a 53-27 halftime lead.
It didn’t get any better for the visitors after the break. Alabama was firing on all cylinders. The Tide made 22 threes, Youngblood led the scoring with 27, Sears added 21 with 10 assists, and Mo Dioubate pulled down 11 boards. If Alabama defends like that the rest of the way, they can absolutely cut down the nets.
It’s great to see Alabama treat a decent team like this, even if it was at home. Next up is a trip to Knoxville with a one seed on the line.
Roll Tide.
