By Chris DePew
TideFans.com Staff
Jan. 20, 2018
Where to watch: Alabama (12-6, 4-2 SEC) vs. Mississippi State (14-4, 2-3) – Today 7:30 p.m. Central, Coleman Coliseum, SEC Network
Who to watch: Galin Smith. The only Mississippian on the Crimson Tide roster, Smith is still struggling to adjust to the size and speed of college hoops. He can be prone to turnovers and fouls, and is still too mechanical when he gets the ball, but he shows flashes of a nice scoring touch around the rim and an instinct for swatting shots. Buried on the bench in December, he has averaged slightly more than 20 minutes per game over the last four contests, with results that have ranged from bad (scoreless at Georgia; fouled out with three turnovers against Auburn) to surprisingly decent (eight points, four rebounds, no turnovers at LSU). With Donta Hall still banged up and Daniel Giddens in an unexplained and worsening funk, Bama needs Smith to eat up minutes and at least not be a liability on the floor against the Bulldogs, who have three players 6-foot-10 or taller waiting to swat shots and hog rebounds.
What to watch for: A defensive crackdown. Bama held Auburn more than a dozen points below its league-leading scoring average in Wednesday’s 76-71 upset victory, and should really be able to clamp down on MSU. The Bulldogs average just over 75 points per game, but that average and their gaudy record were built over a pillow-soft nonconference schedule. State has played three true road games and scored in the 50s each time. If the Tide keeps junior guard Quinndary Weatherspoon in check, the Bulldogs don’t have enough firepower elsewhere to keep pace.
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