The North Alabama Lions and the Mississippi State Bulldogs meet Tuesday in college basketball action from Humphrey Coliseum. North Alabama comes into this matchup at 2-0 so far. The Lions beat Alabama A&M in their last outing. As for Mississippi State, they’re sitting at 2-0 as well following a Saturday win over TN-Martin. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
North Alabama Lions
The Lions had a pretty routine opener versus Blue Mountain College last Monday. North Alabama jumped out to a 50-33 halftime lead and only got better in the second during a 93-60 blowout victory. Tim Smith managed a double-double on 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead the way, while KJ Johnson chipped in 15 points.
Last Thursday’s game two outing was another decisive win for North Alabama. The Lions were up 40-30 on Alabama A&M going into the second half, then cruised from there in an 83-67 victory. Johnson topped the team with 16 points this time, while Jacari Lane added 15 points and four assists in 21 minutes.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Over on the Mississippi State side, they didn’t have too many issues with Arizona State in their opener this year. The Bulldogs were up 39-18 in the locker room and eventually won it 71-56. Mississippi State was great on the boards in that one with a 44-31 rebounding advantage led by DJ Jeffries, Jimmy Bell and Cameron Matthews (each with nine rebounds).
The Bulldogs got off to a fast start versus TN-Martin in their second game as well. Mississippi State held a 41-27 advantage in the first half and ended up with the victory 87-63. Matthews led the team on 12 points, and Bell had another nice rebounding day with 12 boards and seven points of his own.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’m going to stick with the Bulldogs. Mississippi State posted a pretty nice all-around game versus TN-Martin on Saturday, shooting 40.9 percent from the field with 48 rebounds, 17 assists, nine blocks and just nine turnovers. The Bulldogs held the Skyhawks to just 33.3 percent shooting overall and only 12 percent (3-of-25) from 3-point range. It’s been a couple of solid offensive outings for Mississippi State thus far, and I like them to keep it going here.
As for North Alabama, they’ve got a couple of nice performances in the books as well. The Lions shot a solid 48.1 percent from the field with 37 rebounds versus Alabama A&M in their latest win, however Tuesday’s matchup will mark a big uptick in competition. I don’t think the Lions will ultimately keep the cover pace.
