Mississippi State @ Alabama preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 6, 2018 ) Alabama 63, Mississippi State 67

The SEC enters Tuesday's action with three teams at 3-3 in league play and two of them will meet in Alabama, where the Crimson Tide host 21st-ranked Mississippi State. The Bulldogs have won three of their last four and the one loss in that span was at No. 6 Kentucky.

They bounced back from that result in fine fashion with a 92-84 victory over then-No. 15 Auburn on Saturday, shooting 50.9 percent in their best offensive effort in SEC action. "We were playing as a team," senior guard Quinndary Weatherspoon told reporters after tying his season high with 27 points. "I'm excited about that and I'm excited about the win." Alabama stepped out of conference play to take part in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge but fell short at Baylor 73-68 on Saturday. Senior guard Riley Norris hit all six of his shot attempts - four from beyond the arc - en route to a season-high 16 points and the Crimson Tide also shot 50.9 percent from the floor, but they had one basket in a span of over five minutes during a difficult stretch run.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE (15-4, 3-3 SEC): Weatherspoon drilled 4-of-5 from 3-point range against Auburn while reaching the 20-point mark for the first time in conference play, while junior guard Lamar Peters ran the show with 16 points and a season-high 10 assists. "I just wanted to let the game come to me," Peters, who also made four 3-pointers, told reporters. "Not just force shots, play under control and be a point guard for my team." Freshman forward Reggie Perry posted his second career double-double in the win with 10 points and 11 rebounds in just 19 minutes and he's averaging seven boards per game in SEC action.

ABOUT ALABAMA (12-7, 3-3): The Crimson Tide entered last weekend ranked second in the SEC in rebounding margin (plus-6.7), but the Bears beat them on the boards 35-31, including a 16-9 advantage on the offensive glass. "We didn't play our best basketball," coach Avery Johnson told the media. "We got inside their zone and tried to make plays at the rim but we just couldn't get the ball in the basket. I don't like to see us get outrebounded and we did. We had loose balls on the floor that Baylor came up with." Freshman guard Kira Lewis Jr. leads the team in scoring (13.9) and assists (2.8) while senior forward Donta Hall (11.3 points) ranks third in the SEC in both rebounding (8.9) and field-goal percentage (61.2).

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Crimson Tide G John Petty had two points on 1-of-7 shooting in the loss to Baylor after scoring a total of 45 points on 17-of-28 from the floor over his previous two games.

2. Bulldogs F Aric Holman had four blocked shots Saturday and ranks third in the SEC with 2.3 per game.

3. Alabama won 10 of 11 meetings before Mississippi State triumphed 67-63 in the second matchup last season behind 18 points from G Nick Weatherspoon.

PREDICTION: Mississippi State 76, Alabama 75