Blake Krass provides his preview, prediction and pick for Wednesday’s college basketball game between Alabama and Mississippi State.

The No. 17 Alabama Crimson Tide host the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Wednesday night in an SEC college basketball matchup. The game tips off at 9:00 p.m. EST in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

The Crimson Tide are listed as 14.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total set at O/U 177.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and pick for this SEC college basketball matchup.

Alabama vs. Mississippi State prediction, preview

Mississippi State is coming off a bad loss to South Carolina. The Bulldogs are now below .500 on the season and things are not looking good for Chris Jans. They have picked up a few wins against the weaker teams in the conference, but they have struggled against any elite competition. The Bulldogs have one of the elite scorers, not just in the SEC, but in the country. Josh Hubbard is averaging 22 points per game, the ninth-most of anyone in the nation. However, outside of Hubbard, the Bulldogs struggle to generate any sort of offense, ranking outside the top 100 in the nation in offensive rating.

Alabama is one of the most exciting teams in the country, and it’s playing its best basketball of the season at the moment. The Crimson Tide have rattled off six straight wins, propelling them to No. 17 in the country. They are currently tied for second place in the SEC and are a four seed in Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology. Nobody in the country plays a more entertaining brand of basketball than Alabama. The Crimson Tide lead the nation in scoring, averaging 92.6 points per game. They also lead the nation in three-point attempts per game and rank second in adjusted tempo. Labaron Philon Jr. leads Alabama, averaging 21.3 points per game, the 13th-highest scoring player in the country.

Alabama vs. Mississippi State pick

My best bet for this game is for Alabama to cover the 13.5-point spread. The Crimson Tide are rolling through their competition as of late. Mississippi State is allowing 79.3 points per game, the third-most in the conference. Alabama can score on anybody, but it should put up a massive number against the Bulldogs. Alabama has scored at least 90 points in six of its past eight games. At home, against inferior competition, it’s almost a certainty that Alabama will put up at least 90 points. Alabama knows it only needs to slow down Josh Hubbard, and Mississippi State won’t be able to score enough to hang in this game. The Crimson Tide will focus on finding him in transition and forcing anyone else to score for Mississippi State. This should be a blowout from start to finish for Alabama.

Best Bet: Alabama -13.5 (-120)