Five Takeaways From Mississippi State Men's Basketball 99-67 Loss At Alabama
The Mississippi State Bulldogs continued their road struggles tonight as they got run off the floor at Coleman Coliseum. The Bulldog dropped to 14-8 and 3-6 in SEC play.
What are some takeaways from this humbling loss?
Overmatched
From the outset of this game, the Bulldogs looked lethargic. MSU has shown they can beat top-tier teams in the SEC as they hold wins over Tennessee and Auburn, but a common theme in all those games is the Bulldog's ability to control the game's pace.
The Bulldogs started the game well in that aspect, leading 14-12 with 11:45 left in the first half. However, the Crimson Tide took control of the game as Alabama led 23-16 going into the under-eight media break.
The Bulldogs never recovered from that point, which shows how critical it is for this team to slow the game's pace.
Road Struggles
The Bulldogs are yet to win a true road game this season. MSU frequently looks like a different team on the road than Humphrey Coliseum; the Bulldogs have defeated two top 20 teams at home and play impressive defense and efficient offense.
Surprisingly, MSU struggles on the road despite the vast experience of starters Tolu Smith III, Cameron Matthews, D.J. Jeffries, and Shakeel Moore. As stated, MSU must control the pace of the game, and tonight, the home crowd fueled the Tide's 16-2 run to end the half.
Sluggish Offense
This is not an uncommon theme for this team, but the Bulldog offense looked like it had turned a corner, leading to an SEC high in points in MSU's 86-82 loss at Ole Miss.
The Bulldogs struggle with perimeter shooting, so they must avoid falling behind early. However, the Bulldogs relinquished the lead with 10:56 remaining in the first half, and the Bulldogs could never catch up to the high-flying Alabama offense.
MSU shot 4-16 from the three-point line.
Turnovers
Another struggle this team has had all season is committing turnovers, and this was the backbreaker for MSU tonight. The Bulldogs committed 18 turnovers tonight compared to 11 for Alabama.
MSU's defense did not play well tonight as they gave up a season-high 99 points, and 27 came from Bulldog turnovers. If MSU wants to rely on a physical defensive game plan to win games, they must avoid turnovers that lead to easy transition buckets.
Second Chances
Again, the Bulldog's identity under head coach Chris Jans is a physical team, and yet the Bulldogs were out-rebounded 48-37, including allowing 20 offensive rebounds.
Alabama thrives on their volume shooting offensive approach, so the more looks they get, the more shots fall in. In the future, the Bulldogs must be better on the boards if they want to rely on their defense.
