Mississippi State foward Tolu Smith on Alabama loss: 'They just gave us an old-fashioned ass-whooping'

Starkville to Tuscaloosa might be the shortest drive in the SEC but it’s going to feel quite long for Mississippi State on Saturday night. Alabama dominated from start to finish at Coleman Coliseum, winning 99-67. A tough one for Chris Jans‘ team as Mississippi State remains without a true road win.

Tolu Smith was honest about the game during his postgame press conference. He was looking at the box score and saw Alabama recorded 20 offensive rebounds. Mississippi State takes pride in their work on the glass but overall, the result was a disaster for them.

“20 offensive rebounds, it’s hard to win any game like that,” Smith said. “They just gave us an old fashioned ass-whooping.”

Smith himself was one of the bright spots for Mississippi State. He recorded a game-high 23 points and added five rebounds. There were some rough moments at the free throw line, making just seven of his 13 attempts. But Smith was not talking about his performance.

Mississippi State has not been blown out all season. The only double-digit loss on the resume came earlier in the season at Rupp Arena against Kentucky, losing by 13 points. All things considered, not the worst loss in the world.

Alabama took things to a new level though, pulling away in the first half. It was a 13-point difference heading into the halftime locker room and only expanded in the second half. Getting huge wins, especially in Tuscaloosa, has become quite routine under Nate Oats.

Looking more specifically at the offensive rebounds Smith spoke on, Mouhamed Dioubate and Grant Nelson each had three, leading Alabama. Four others had two. It was an all-around team effort for the Crimson Tide, and you know they love stacking up the blue-collar points.

Mississippi State will have to get back to the drawing board, taking a couple of tough losses in a row off the chin. A critical home game against Georgia is next on the schedule with both teams fighting for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The home record has been better for the Bulldogs and the theme must continue into Wednesday.

At the very least, Smith was able to give his candid opinion on the game. He understands Mississippi State got beat handily. And you can assume he will come out firing against Georgia, hoping he can be on the opposite end of the spectrum in front of the home crowd.