LSU coaches are getting their fill of Alabama this week.LSU football coach Les Miles went toe-to-toe with ‘Bama for the nation’s top recruiting class Wednesday, and the LSU men’s basketball coach Trent Johnson will have his second go at the Crimson Tide (13-9, 3-5) on Sunday with a six-game conference winning streak on the line.Johnson’s first visit to Tuscaloosa, Ala., was the first and only conference loss for LSU (18-4, 6-1) so far this season.”Alabama quite frankly really handled us physically the first time out, and that was without Ronald Steele who at the time was injured,” Johnson said. Sophomore guard Senario Hillman took over for Steele against the Tigers. Hillman shot 44 percent from the field for 24 points in the Tide’s 66-59 win against LSU on Jan. 11.”We need to continue to get better, and we have to match their physicality on the glass,” Johnson said. “We have to find a way to contain Hillman.”STATE STILL IN SECONDMississippi State (15-7, 5-2) has managed to hold onto second in the Southeastern Conference Western Division since the Tigers knocked them from first Jan. 21. The Bulldogs put the conference on notice Tuesday with a resounding 66-57 road win against Kentucky (16-7, 5-3).They will have to hold serve against Arkansas (13-7, 1-6) on Saturday to maintain their position. The Bulldogs defeated the Razorbacks, 70-56, on Jan. 10 to open SEC play.”We played awful well against [Arkansas] the first time. I don’t know if we can play that well again,” said Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury. “We’ve probably gained a little experience since then, we’ve had a couple of road wins since then … but if you beat somebody once, and you think it’s going to be easy the next time you’re in for a disappointing loss.”LOST LUSTERKentucky vs. Florida was the premier rivalry in SEC basketball in recent years. The Gators and Wildcats fought for conference titles and tournament seedings, and the two programs have accounted for the conference’s past four national titles. Tuesday marks the first edition of the rivalry this season, but it won’t be quite as juicy as 2005, when No. 24 Florida took down No. 5 Kentucky in front of a raucous crowd in Gainesville, Fla.Florida (19-4, 6-2) has two losses in the past five games, including a 16-point loss at Tennessee. “It’s been a long several weeks for our team,” said Florida coach Billy Donovan. “We’ve got a little bit of time to hopefully heal up our bumps and bruises and try to get our guys rejuvinated and mentally fresh.”Kentucky (16-7, 5-3) raced to five-straight wins to start SEC play. But the Wildcats have dropped three games in the past 10 days, two of those at historic Rupp Arena, to bring them back to Earth.”We obviously have many things we need to work on,” said Kentucky coach Billy Gillespie. “We had things when we were 5-0, and when you lose they come to light in a hurry.”The game will be on ESPN at 8 p.m. The Wildcats will try to buck a disturbing trend, as their four home losses on the year give them more losses at Rupp than in opposing venues.Kentucky’s all-time record at Rupp Arena is 425-58.    —-Contact David Helman at [email protected]