Bulldogs Invade T-Town For Border Rivalry With Bama

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Riding the momentum of a dominating win against Vanderbilt on Tuesday, Mississippi State makes the short trip to Tuscaloosa Saturday to face long-time rival Alabama in a critical SEC showdown for both teams.

Tip at historic Coleman Coliseum is set for 7:30 p.m. CT, with the game televised on the SEC Network. Kevin Fitzgerald and Sean Harrington will handle the broadcast, while Neil Price and Richard Williams will have the call on the MSU radio network.

LAST TIME OUT
The Bulldogs built as much as a 21-point lead en route to an impressive 80-62 win against Vanderbilt. Quinndary Weatherspoon had 19 points, while Aric Holman posted his fourth double-double of the year with 18 points and a career-high 14 rebounds.

Alabama defeated arch-rival No. 17 Auburn, 76-71. John Petty led the Crimson Tide with 20 points and 7 boards.

RECORDS
Mississippi State, 14-4, 2-3; Alabama, 12-6, 4-2.

THE SERIES
Alabama leads, 123-74.

COACHES
Ben Howland enters his third year at MSU and 22^nd overall. As head coach in four different stops, he is 445-243 with a 44-37 mark with the Bulldogs.

Avery Johnson is in his third year at Alabama and is 49-36.

QUOTABLE
"For me, it's to win every game the rest of the season, but one game at a time. We want to compete in every game. Our last outing, we played well against Vanderbilt. Looking at the last two games, we've had three of our best four halves of the year. The second half against Auburn was disappointing, but I think we learned something from it. This is a young team that's growing and learning." — MSU coach Ben Howland on expectations for the remainder of the year.

BULLDOG BITES

Alabama has won the last three in this series and 12 out of the last 15.
In Coleman Coliseum, the Crimson Tide has won eight out of the last 10. Mississippi State last won in Tuscaloosa in 2016, 67-61.
The Bulldogs are looking to start 3-3 in SEC play for the second year in a row.
MSU is also looking to snap a 10-game losing streak on the road dating back to last season. It's 0-3 this year with losses at Cincinnati, Ole Miss and Florida.
The Bulldogs' last road win came at Arkansas on Jan. 10, 2017, an 84-78 victory.
Against Vanderbilt, junior forward Aric Holman recorded his fourth double-double of the year and the sixth of his career with 18 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. MSU is 5-1 when he has a double-double.
MSU has totaled eight double-doubles on the year, with Abdul Ado accounting for three and Quinndary Weatherspoon having the other.
Junior guard Quinndary Weatherspoon had 19 points against the Commodores to give him 1,112 for his career, leaving him four shy of tying Red Stroud at No. 32.
Aric Holman had 2 blocks against Vanderbilt to move past Gavin Ware for the eighth most in school history with 101. Wiley Peck (1976-79) is seventh with 117.
Abdul Ado has team-high 37 blocked shots. That's tied for the fifth most by a freshman in school history with Wiley Peck. He's on pace to break Jarvis Varnado's freshman mark of 67. His 2.2 average is currently tied for the best in school history for a rookie with Erick Dampier.
MSU is 16th nationally with its 5.8 blocks, while Abdul Ado ranks 35nd in the country.
Mississippi State leads the SEC and is 25th nationally in points allowed at 64.6. MSU is also 21st in the nation in field goal defense at 39.4 percent.
MSU has shot 50 percent or better from the floor seven times this season. Last year, the total was eight.
On the year, Mississippi State is 11-0 when shooting 45 percent or better from the floor and 11-0 when having fewer turnovers than its opponent.

NEXT 3 UP
Jan. 23 at Kentucky
Jan. 27 vs. Missouri
Jan. 31 at South Carolina

Bulldogs Invade T-Town For Border Rivalry With Bama

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Abdul Ado

Aric Holman

Quinndary Weatherspoon

Mississippi State University Athletics

Bulldogs Invade T-Town For Border Rivalry With Bama

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Abdul Ado

Aric Holman

Quinndary Weatherspoon

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