Mississippi vs Alabama Odds and Picks

• The Ole Miss Rebels (5-1) travel to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide (5-3) at the Coleman Coliseum at 9:00 PM ET on Tuesday, Dec. 29th
• Both teams answered losses with wins in their last game
• See the odds, spread, analysis, and best bet below

The Alabama Crimson Tide look to start conference play off on a strong note when they welcome the Mississippi Rebels to the Coleman Coliseum on Tuesday Night. Alabama smashed Eastern Tennessee 85-69 the last time they took the floor. Meanwhile, Mississippi put it on Tennessee Martin 90-43 the last time they went to battle.

The Crimson Tide have won five of the last six meetings including a 103-78 beating in the last one on Feb. 22nd. Alabama is favored by 1.5 points in this matchup.

Mississippi vs Alabama Odds

Odds as of December 28th at FanDuel.

Alabama is Ready For Conference Play

The Crimson Tide followed up a disappointing home loss to Western Kentucky with an absolute beating of East Tennessee State last Tuesday. Alabama took a one point lead into the locker room at the end of the first half before winning the second half by 15 points. The Crimson Tide were able to pull down 12 offensive rebounds turning them into 21 second chance points which ultimately lead to the win.

Jaden Shackelford Hopes to Give Alabama Basketball Momentum Heading into SEC Playhttps://t.co/3D2gHhrZlZ pic.twitter.com/kgWJcaEJoE

— BamaCentral (@BamaCentral) December 21, 2020

Jaden Shackelford lead the way in scoring for Alabama with a season-high 26 points. He was a marksman from behind the three-point line going 8/13 from distance. Third leading scorer and team leader, John Petty Jr., didn’t suit up for the game but was hardly needed between Shackelford and Jahvon Quinerly. Quinerly played a season-high 35 minutes and contributed 14 points to go along with nine assists.

Mississippi Plays Defense

So far this season no team is holding their opponents to fewer points per contest than Mississippi. They have held opponents to an average of 52.7 points per game and that suffocating defense was on full display last time out against Tennessee Martin. The Rebels held the Skyhawks to 40 points on the night including only 19 in the first half. Tennessee Martin was only able to shoot 30% from the floor as a team while turning the ball over 18 times.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's…@Devontae_Shuler pic.twitter.com/w1r0sKasvc

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) December 26, 2020

Mississippi’s leading scorer on the season, Devontae Shuler, was only needed for 22 minutes in this one but that was enough time to dish out eight assists. Shuler was primarily a creator as Jarkel Joiner and K.J. Buffen lead the Rebels in scoring with 16 points apiece. Buffen stuffed the stat sheet with three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal in the game. Mississippi was hardly challenged in this one as they led at the half 90-43.

Best Betting Angle

Mississippi has looked great defensively but upon examination of their schedule, it’s hard not to notice the reason. They’ve only played one team in the KenPom top 60 and that was Dayton which was their only loss on the season. In that game, the Rebels out rebounded the Flyers 37-20 but still lost because they couldn’t stop Dayton from hitting shots. That could be a problem in this game.

Dayton is currently ranks 302 out of 357 teams in rebounding percentage whereas Alabama ranks 101. It is highly unlikely that Mississippi will slaughter Alabama on the boards like they did to Dayton. The Crimson Tide are more efficient on offense than the Flyers which were able to shoot 51% in their win over Mississippi. Alabama also plays at a a breakneck pace which could be problematic for a Mississippi that likes to play slow. If the Crimson Tide can be even somewhat efficient offensively, they should be able to cover this small number.

Pick: Alabama Crimson Tide -1.5 (-110)