Mississippi State takes on No. 24 Alabama after Molinar's 28-point game

Alabama Crimson Tide (11-5, 2-2 SEC) at Mississippi State Bulldogs (11-4, 2-1 SEC)

Starkville, Mississippi; Saturday, 6 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Mississippi State hosts the No. 24 Alabama Crimson Tide after Iverson Molinar scored 28 points in Mississippi State's 88-72 win over the Georgia Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs are 9-1 on their home court. Mississippi State is 1-1 in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Crimson Tide are 2-2 against SEC opponents. Alabama averages 82.1 points and has outscored opponents by 7.7 points per game.

The matchup Saturday is the first meeting this season for the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: Shakeel Moore averages 1.7 made 3-pointers per game for the Bulldogs, scoring 10.5 points while shooting 37.7% from beyond the arc. Molinar is averaging 17.5 points and 4.5 assists over the past 10 games for Mississippi State.

Jaden Shackelford is averaging 16.1 points and 5.9 rebounds for the Crimson Tide. Keon Ellis is averaging 1.4 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Alabama.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bulldogs: 7-3, averaging 76.9 points, 34.7 rebounds, 15.5 assists, 7.3 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 47.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 67.9 points per game.

Crimson Tide: 6-4, averaging 81 points, 35.6 rebounds, 15.3 assists, 6.8 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 44.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 76.9 points.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by