The Southeastern Conference gauntlet continues into Wednesday night, as the 4th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide visit the No. 14 Mississippi Bulldogs.

However, there are less difficult things to do than play a ranked Chris Jans team on the road in a midweek contest. Alabama head coach Nate Oats is aware of this, and he expects the No. 4 Crimson Tide (17-3,

Alabama, which is 6-1 in the SEC and only a half-game behind league-leading Auburn (6-0), leads the country in scoring. It leads the conference in rebounds, shot attempts, made 2-pointers and made free throws per game.

After missing four straight games, Derrion Reid returned to the floor for Alabama basketball at Mississippi State. Here's how he played.

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

The No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide (17-3, 6-1 SEC) and the No. 13 Mississippi State Bulldogs (16-4, 4-3) meet Wednesday at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Miss. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET (SEC Network).

Alabama basketball's Mark Sears wasn't the only one to have a bounce-back game as the Tide had a shootout with Mississippi State's Josh Hubbard.