The ninth-seeded Mississippi State Bulldogs will look to snap a three-game losing streak to the top-seeded and fourth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide when they meet in a 2023 SEC Tournament quarterfinal on Friday. The Bulldogs (21-11, 8-10 SEC), who outlasted Florida 69-68 in overtime on Friday, have been red hot, winning nine of their last 12 games. The Crimson Tide (26-5, 16-2), who are 2-2 on neutral courts this year, have won 17 of the past 20 games. Alabama is looking for its eighth SEC Tournament title, second-most behind Kentucky's 32, while Mississippi State has won three.
The game from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., will tip off at 1 p.m. ET. Mississippi State is averaging 66.4 points per game, while Alabama averages 82.8. The Crimson Tide are 8-point favorites in the latest Mississippi State vs. Alabama odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 139.5. Before locking in any Alabama vs. Mississippi State picks, you need to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's advanced computer simulation model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters conference tournament week 76-51 on all-top rated college basketball picks this season, returning nearly $1,200 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now the model has zeroed in on Alabama vs. Mississippi State and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Now, here are several college basketball odds and betting lines for Mississippi State vs. Alabama:
- Alabama vs. Mississippi State spread: Alabama -8
- Alabama vs. Mississippi State over/under: 139.5 points
- Alabama vs. Mississippi State money line: Mississippi State +285, Alabama -365
- MSST: The Bulldogs are 6-1 against the spread in their last seven games against a team with a winning % above .600
- ALA: The Crimson Tide are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 Friday games
- Alabama vs. Mississippi State picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Alabama can cover
Freshman forward Noah Clowney is one of three Crimson Tide players averaging double-digit scoring. For the season, Clowney is averaging 10 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. In two games against Mississippi State, he's averaging 12.5 points, eight rebounds and one assist. He has three double-doubles, including a 17-point and 14-rebound effort at Missouri in an 85-64 win on Jan. 21.
Senior guard Jahvon Quinerly has been red hot over the past three games. He is coming off a 12-point performance in Saturday's loss at Texas A&M. Prior to that, Quinerly poured in 24 points and dished out six assists in a 90-85 overtime win over Auburn on March 1. For the season, he is averaging 7.8 points, 3.7 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game. He scored 14 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out four assists in the Jan. 25 win over the Bulldogs.
Why Mississippi State can cover
Senior forward Tolu Smith has been on fire the past 15 games, scoring in double figures in each of them. After closing out the regular season with a 27-point and 11-rebound effort in a 77-72 loss at Vanderbilt on Saturday, he followed that up with another monster performance. In Thursday's win over Florida, he scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. For the year, he is averaging 15.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
Junior guard Shakeel Moore had a solid effort against Florida on Thursday, finishing with 13 points, four assists and three rebounds. It was the fourth game in a row he has reached double digits. For the season, he is averaging 9.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Moore has scored 20 points or more three times, including a season-high 22 points at South Carolina in a 66-51 win on Jan. 31.
How to make Mississippi State vs. Alabama picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 139 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time. You can only see the model's picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Alabama vs. Mississippi State? And which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.
