Crimson Tide and Mississippi State to Meet Saturday
2/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 20, 2009
ALABAMA (13-12, 3-8 SEC) vs. MISSISSIPPI STATE (17-9, 7-4 SEC)
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Tipoff: 2 p.m. (CST)
Tickets: 1-877-TIDETIX or rolltide.com
TV: WVUA
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network
Promotions: First 1,000 fans receive a UA koozie
Complete Release in PDF Format 
The University of Alabama men's basketball team comes home to Coleman Coliseum to play host to SEC West rival Mississippi State on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. CST.
The matinee pits two programs that have combined to win six of the last seven SEC West titles in the 182nd meeting in the long rivalry. The Crimson Tide leads the all-time series by a 110-71 margin.
The first 1,000 fans through the Coleman Coliseum doors will receive a free Alabama basketball koozie. Additionally, fans can receive a coupon good for two free tickets to any upcoming home Crimson Tide baseball game for every $15 spent at the Coleman Coliseum concession stands.
The Crimson Tide returns home after losing at Florida, 83-74, on Wednesday night to fall to 13-12 overall and 3-8 in SEC action. The Tide will be aiming for its fourth home SEC win of the season as it boasts previous wins over LSU, Mississippi and Georgia.
Meanwhile, Mississippi State visits Tuscaloosa with a 17-9 overall record and a 7-4 mark in league play after defeating South Carolina, 75-70, on Wednesday. In the first meeting this year, MSU prevailed 83-74 in Starkville despite Mikhail Torrance's 20 points and JaMychal Green's 11 points and 10 rebounds.
"One thing I've been very impressed with Mississippi State is how they've been able to adapt to their talent and their ability," said UA interim head coach Philip Pearson. "All of a sudden, they've got the one big post player with three or four shooters sprinkled around him making them awfully difficult to guard."
Senior Alonzo Gee enters the stretch run of his storied career leading the Tide in scoring and is second in rebounding with 14.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. At Florida, Gee passed the 1,500-career point barrier and now has 1,506 points, the 14th most at UA.
JaMychal Green continued to solidify his standing as one of the top freshman of the SEC after recording his fifth double-double of the season with 12 points and a career-high 15 rebounds at Florida. Green is averaging 12.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in SEC contests this season. Since the start of SEC play, Green has scored in double-figures eight times with four double-doubles, tied for the most in SEC action this season.
MSU overcame a four-point first-half deficit thanks to making 7-of-17 three-point attempts in the second half to defeat USC. The long range flurry was par for the course for MSU as it averages a league-best 8.2 three-pointers per game.
Ravern Johnson made four of the team's nine three-pointers in the win to increase his season percentage to a staggering 44.8 percent. Johnson is second on the team in scoring with 12.4 points per game with 64 three-pointers.
Jarvis Varnado leads the team in scoring with 13.2 points per game and nearly averages a double-double with 9.2 rebounds per game. The defending SEC Defensive Player of the Year, he's leading nation in blocks with 4.9 per game. As a team, the Bulldogs lead the nation in the category with 8.1 blocks per game.
Following Saturday's contest, the Tide will remain in Tuscaloosa to host Arkansas on Wednesday, Feburary 25 at 7 p.m. CST
