The University of Alabama women’s basketball team will travel to Starkville, Miss., to play the Mississippi State University Bulldogs Thursday. After losing to Auburn on Feb. 17, the Crimson Tide is hoping to try to turn the season around before heading into the SEC tournament.
The Tide, currently 12-13 (2-10 SEC), endured many struggles as a team after losing to Auburn. Being ranked No. 13 in the conference, Alabama is desperate for another win. The team has had six consecutive conference losses.
“I think the best we can do right now is to forget about everything that has happened in the past,” forward Briana Hutchen said. “[We] just have to play our kind of basketball and leave the mental [problems] out of it and do what we do best.”
This matchup is fairly even. Though MSU has a slight lead over the Tide in ranking, coach Wendell Hudson said he is confident that the team can come out on top.
“We have to shoot the ball,” Hudson said. “But we’re going to have to play a bit more man-to-man coverage in order to make the baskets.”
This matchup will be the 50th time the two schools have met. Alabama has the better record when playing the Bulldogs (34-15), but in recent years the Bulldogs have been ruling the court. This time around, MSU is coming off two consecutive losses.
“We’re not looking at their record,” Hutchen said. “We’re looking at them more just as an SEC team. We’re going for a win, and if we do that then we will do well.”
Alabama’s losing streak is not hampering the team’s spirit. Even so, the Tide has a lot of work to do before facing the Bulldogs.
“They are a pretty big team,” Hutchen said. “Most times when you look at teams at the bottom of the SEC, you underestimate them a lot, and we can’t do that.”
With only four games left in the season, Alabama needs another conference win. Hudson is determined to claim another ‘W’ before the season is out.
“We’re all fighting for positions in the SEC tournament,” Hudson said. “We’re working on ourselves and not worrying about MSU. We need to be efficient.”
This upcoming game could be the pinnacle point in the season to see where Alabama will be in the conference tournament. If the team wins, it will be tied with MSU and Auburn. If not, the team could fall to No. 14 behind Ole Miss.
The Tide will tip off in Starkville, Miss., at 7 p.m.
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