Mississippi State coach Chris Jans paused for a second to ponder the question.

Can anyone beat that version of Alabama men’s basketball?

“They were awfully good,” Jans said.

He expounded on that initial thought in a few ways, but this part was the most noteworthy.

“They would have been tough to beat tonight for most teams across the country,” Jans said. “There’s a lot of good teams in our league. There’s probably more teams in our league that have Final Four potential probably in the history of any league … they’re definitely one of them.”

No. 6 Alabama had crushed No. 24 Mississippi State 111-73 at Coleman Coliseum. The score stands out, of course, but it’s how the Crimson Tide did it that begs the question.

Did we, finally, witness the version of Alabama that’s unbeatable?

In particular, the one that showed up in the first half. There was no slow start that troubled the Crimson Tide (23-5, 12-3 SEC) against Auburn and Missouri, both losses. Instead, rugged, stifling defense made an appearance.

The Crimson Tide allowed the Bulldogs to score only .750 points per possession in the first half with 27 total first-half points. Those are elite numbers that will win just about every basketball game. Mississippi State, before halftime, shot 12 of 33 (36.4%) overall and 2 of 12 (16.7%) from deep. Alabama also forced nine first-half turnovers.

1/73

That kind of suffocating, efficient defense has not been a constant this season. More often than not, it hasn’t shown up. Did we finally see what this group can do?

The Crimson Tide didn’t maintain that level of defense, ultimately getting comfortable with a big lead and allowing 1.278 points per possession in the second half. But the point is, the first half showed what Alabama can do in a season where there haven’t been many examples like that.

The offense is going to be there most nights. Maybe not to the extent that it was against Mississippi State (19-9, 7-8) to the tune of 22 3-pointers, but Alabama has one of the best offenses in the country. It ranks No. 3 nationally in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 1 in SEC play.

The defense has more often been the source of uncertainty and questions. But if Alabama’s playing defense like that, most teams can’t keep pace with the offense. Especially if it plays like it did against the Bulldogs, who have a top 50 defense.

Chris Youngblood can be a weapon in catch-and-shoot mode from beyond the arc. He made seven triples against Mississippi State with 27 total points.

Alabama has also found ways to better set Mark Sears up for success, and he has flourished these past several games as a result. After the Auburn loss, the Crimson Tide decided to try to make sure Sears is on the floor with someone who can help create shots for him much of the time. He can be most effective that way in catch-and-shoot mode when he’s with another creator.

Take, for example, one play in the first half against Mississippi State. Guard Aden Holloway made a nifty move to dribble past a defender and create an advantage before feeding an open Sears. Sears then knocked down a triple.

That was one of five on the night for him. In total, he scored 21 points to go with 10 assists.

In the three games following the decision to get him on the floor with more creators (Holloway and Labaron Philon), Sears has scored 86 points, gone 13 of 31 (42%) on 3-pointers, made 21 of 23 (91%) free-throws, grabbed 19 assists and snatched five steals.

“I’ve been telling you guys, he’s been playing the best basketball of his career on both sides,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “For him to have a positive defensive leverage, that hasn’t always been the case. When he gets locked into getting stops, doing winning things, doesn’t care who scores …”

Alabama can win. A lot of games.

Too often we’ve seen a version of Alabama that didn’t play well in one or two areas but compensated for those shortcomings elsewhere enough to win. Many games, the Crimson Tide has played solid to good, but it felt like Alabama was capable of more.

Capable of what we saw in the first half, and in parts throughout the game, against a ranked Mississippi State team.

A version that maybe, just maybe, cannot be beat.

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.