The top-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide begin their 2023 SEC Tournament on Friday when they take on the ninth-seeded Mississippi State Bulldogs in a quarterfinal matchup. The Bulldogs (21-11, 8-10), who last won the event in 2009, are coming off a 69-68 overtime win over eighth-seeded Florida on Thursday in the first round. The Crimson Tide (26-5, 16-2), who won the tournament in 2021, dropped a 67-61 decision at Texas A&M on Saturday in the regular-season finale. Alabama swept the season series against Mississippi State, winning 78-67 on Dec. 28 and 66-63 on Jan. 25.
Tipoff from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., is set for 1 p.m. ET. Alabama leads the all-time series 132-78, including an 8-3 series edge in games played in the SEC Tournament. The Crimson Tide are 7.5-point favorites in the latest Mississippi State vs. Alabama odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 137. 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 -7.5
- Alabama vs. Mississippi State over/under: 137 points
- Alabama vs. Mississippi State money line: Mississippi State +270, Alabama -345
- 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
Featured Game | Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Why Alabama can cover
The fourth-ranked Crimson Tide have been led by freshman forward Brandon Miller. Miller has reached double-digit scoring in each of the past 22 games with seven double-doubles on the year. In the loss at Texas A&M, he scored 19 points, while recording 10 rebounds. He scored a season-high 41 points in a 78-76 overtime win at South Carolina on Feb. 22. In 31 games, all starts, he is averaging 19.6 points, eight rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
Also powering Alabama is junior guard Mark Sears. In 31 games, all starts, the Ohio transfer is averaging 13.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals. In two games against the Bulldogs, he averages 12 points, three assists, two steals and 1.5 rebounds. He has reached double-figure scoring 21 times, including a season-high 26 points in an 84-69 win at Arkansas on Jan. 11.
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 Over 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.
