The Alabama Crimson Tide is back on the road in Starkville to face off against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in a top-15 matchup. Read more for a complete Alabama vs Georgia prediction and preview. Â
Alabama basketball is coming off a big win on the road versus Mississippi State in an 88-84 victory. It got some big buckets late from Chris Youngblood, who is coming off a seven-three-pointer game with 23 points.
“I don’t think we’ve played particularly great, but we’ve played well enough to be 7-1, looking to go 8-1 in our first 9 SEC games,” said head coach Nate Oats.
Game Information:
Teams:Â Alabama (18-3, 7-1) and Georgia (15-6, 3-5)
Tip-Off: Â 3:00 p.m. CST ( 4:00 EST)
Where to Watch:Â ESPN2
How to Listen:Â Tide 100.9
Latest on Georgia Basketball:
The Georgia Bulldogs are entering year three under Mike White, who was at Florida before arriving in Athens in 2022. The Bulldogs are off to a 15-6 start and have arguably White’s best team in the three years in Athens.
So far this season, the Bulldogs’ marquee victories in non-conference play came in wins over St. John’s 66-63 and Notre Dame 69-48. So far in SEC play, it has been on a bit of a skid, dropping two out of three, but most recently winning at home against South Carolina in a 71-60 win. Highly touted Freshman Asa Newell, who chose the Dawgs over Alabama, had 17 points on 8-12 shooting from the floor. Mount Saint Mary’s guard Dakota Leffew also had 14 points on 5-10 shooting.
The Bulldogs have three guys who average double figures: Newell, Silas Demary Jr., and Leffew.
Newell is leading the team in scoring as a Freshman, averaging 15.2 PPG this season. He also leads the Bulldogs on the glass, averaging 7.0 RPG. Sophomore Demary Jr. leads the team in assists, averaging 2.8 APG.
Per KenPom, the Bulldogs are ranked 76th in offensive efficiency numbers and just outside the top 15  at 18th in defensive efficiency. The team is the 11th-ranked team in its conference in the rankings by the numbers. The team averages around 76.1 PPG and shoots 33.0% from the three-point line.
Latest on Alabama Basketball:
Alabama is entering the game riding a four-game winning streak in what was a 7-1 record in January. They hope to keep that going, especially with Mark Sears getting back to his normal self after a 17-point, nine-assist, and six-rebound game in his last outing.Â
Derrion Reid got back in the mix of things by playing in a limited 11 minutes but had two points and was just getting back to game speed.
Labaron Philon is still playing through the ankle injury, and the minutes have decreased just a bit.
When the Tide is grabbing double-digit offensive boards, and guys like Mouhamed Dioubate are giving the team second chances, the offense is nearly unstoppable. Dioubate is continuing to emerge as a scorer off the bench.
Dioubate is the only player in Division 1 with 110 rebounds in less than 310 minutes.
“He’s as blue-collar as it gets,” said Oats on Dioubate.
Sears still leads the team, averaging 18.0 PPG on the season. Grant Nelson continues to be a force around the glass in the rebounding department, averaging 8.3 RPG. Sears leads the team in assists at 5.0 APG, whereas the team averages 17.0 APG.
Per KenPom, Alabama is back in the top three and second in offensive efficiency. On the defensive end, the team has an efficiency ranking of 45, down two spots from the last game. Alabama is averaging 90.2 PPG while shooting 33.2% from three.Â
Alabama vs Georgia prediction: Crimson Tide by 12
Alabama will be in for a challenging game against the Bulldogs, but the Tide will set the tempo early, try to speed up the Bulldogs, and roll to an 88-76 win.
[…] basketball ends the first half of the SEC schedule going 8-1 and protected the home floor in a big 90-69 win with a 51-point second half despite the Bulldogs having 19 more shot […]