Ad Disclosure
Brandon Miller and the Alabama Crimson Tide sent Mississippi State packing on Friday, handing the Bulldogs a 72-49 loss in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. The lopsided win punched Alabama’s ticket to the semifinals of the tournament, while the Bulldogs are headed back to Starkville.
The Alabama win wasn’t entirely unexpected, as the Crimson Tide are ranked No. 1 in the SEC and are expected to be a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Alabama sits atop the SEC with a 27-5 record, including wins against the Bulldogs during regular season play. Entering the tournament, Alabama had defeated Mississippi State in 17 of their last 20 matchups.
Speaking to ESPN’s Marty Smith after the game, Miller gave credit to his hard-charging team for the win, saying, “I feel like we just have a great group of guys that just want to win — willing to make all the dirty plays, like diving on the floor, taking charges. It’s all about the blue collar stuff at Alabama basketball.”
Miller also indicated that there was pressure to prove themselves coming into the tournament, stating, “I feel like everybody, coming off a loss at a nice Texas A&M atmosphere, I feel like we just had to come in here with the most energy that we had today, and just get another win.”
Win they did, and in convincing fashion to boot. Alabama will return to action on Saturday afternoon.
