Alabama Basketball: Getting over a hump at the Hump is tough

On Tuesday night two teams face must-win situations in Starkville, MS. Alabama basketball and the hometown Mississippi State Bulldogs will battle.

Alabama basketball and the Mississippi State Bulldogs don’t quite face an elimination game Tuesday night. Both teams will have at least four more games after Tuesday – before learning their postseason fates.

With a win, one of the teams will greatly enhance its NCAA, at-large berth chances. The loser will limp forward with no further margin for error. Both head coaches are battlers to whom backing off is never an option. The game has all the ingredients needed for greatness.

Forget about the January contest in Tuscaloosa when Alabama basketball won 90-69. The Tide shot almost 42 percent outside the arc. The Bulldogs powerful force, 6-foot-11, Reggie Perry was burdened by early fouls and played only 23 minutes. State was still adjusting to Nick Weatherspoon being back in the lineup after a 10-game suspension.

The Bulldogs are a much better team now. MSU head coach, Ben Howland is in his fifth season in Starkville. Ben Howland is a winner. He built NCAA Tournament capable programs at Northern Arizona and Pittsburgh. In one three-season stretch at UCLA, he took the Bruins to three Final Fours. His teams are physically tough and strong fundamentally. It is a fair claim to say Reggie Perry is the best big-man in the SEC – better even than the Cats’ Nick Richards. Tyson Carter, who struggled in Tuscaloosa has become a top player.

The Bulldogs are not high-volume three-point shooters. Robert Woodard II has only attempted 61, but he is making them at a 47.5 percent pace. Perry, Carter, Nick Weatherspoon and Woodard can all score. As a team, they have the second-highest field goal shooting in the SEC, at 46.7 percent. They make free throws at 75.1 percent compared to 69.6 percent for the Crimson Tide.

The Tide won in Starkville in Ben Howland’s first two seasons. The last two Starkville contests for the Tide have been losses. Over the last 15 games the pair have played in Starkville, the Bulldogs hold an 8-7 edge.

A good guess is that slight, 8-7 edge will be mirrored by a slight margin Tuesday night. Will it be the Tide or the Bulldogs on top? An added guess is the game will come down to fouls, foul shooting and turnovers. The Tide can erase some deficiencies with another hot night outside the arc. It can ill afford key players in foul trouble or too frequently sending the Bulldogs to the line.

The Bulldogs are 12-2 at home this season, losing to Auburn and to Louisiana Tech while Weatherspoon was sitting out. They are 6-4 over their last 10 games. The Alabama Crimson Tide is 5-5.