STARKVILLE, Miss. — Chris Youngblood had a season-high 23 points, including two free throws with 10.9 seconds remaining, to lead No. 4 Alabama to an 88-84 win over No. 14 Mississippi State on Wednesday night. Youngblood made a career-best seven 3 pointers while Alabama made 15 of 31 from beyond the arc.

Alabama made 15 3-pointers on Wednesday night in Starkville to pick up a close win over Mississippi State in a top-15 SEC showdown.

Mark Sears leads Alabama with 18.1 points nearly five assists per game. Josh Hubbard leads Mississippi State with 16.3 points per game forwards KeShawn Murphy and Cameron Matthews both average seven rebounds per game.

Mark Sears was benched over the weekend against LSU, but he bounced back nicely against Mississippi State.

A pair of SEC squads ranked in the top 15 face off for their first of two regular season meetings on Wednesday, Jan. 29 when the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide visit the No. 14 Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Miss.

SportsLine's model simulated Wednesday's Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Alabama Crimson Tide college basketball matchup 10,000 times

Alabama was able to escape Starkville with a hair-raising victory over Mississippi State. Check out the photo gallery!

On Wednesday night, a SEC matchup with a lengthy history will officially be renewed once again, as the Alabama Crimson Tide travel west to Starkville, Mississippi for a Top 25 showdown with the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Mississippi State basketball suffered another loss to a top-10 team, but one of the positives that emerged was Josh Hubbard, who scored 38 points.

The Alabama Crimson Tide picked up an impressive road win Wednesday night, defeating Mississippi State in Starkville by a final score of 88-84.

Chris Youngblood scored a season-high 23 points on a career-best seven 3-pointers to help No. 4 Alabama squeeze out an 88-84 victory over No. 14 Mississippi State on Wednesday night in Starkville, Miss.