After losing a heartbreaker to the Tennessee Volunteers last Wednesday 92-84, Auburn bounced back against Mississippi State with a 78-63 win last Saturday. However, the Tigers have one more road game in conference play this season with a game against Missouri set for Tuesday.
The Missouri Tigers are still looking for their first conference win this season, as they hold an 0-16 SEC record and an 8-21 record overall. They couldn’t get the job done against Ole Miss last Saturday, but a home win against Auburn this Tuesday would be the one of the best things to happen to them this season.
The orange and blue are coming off a fresh victory against Mississippi State, as key players had key games. Johni Broome was dominant as usual with 17 points and six rebounds. Denver Jones was making plays in the paint and behind the three-point line as he tallied 15 points and four rebounds.
Jaylin Williams came back to the court last Wednesday against Tennessee, and still looked like himself against Mississippi State, scoring 10 points and grabbing three rebounds. Chad Baker-Mazara was also a key player against the Bulldogs with 10 points and three rebounds.
However, Auburn lost a piece of its rotation when Lior Berman suffered an ACL tear in the second half of that game, ending his season and his career as an Auburn Tiger. He was driving into the paint when he planted awkwardly on his left leg and fell to the floor. He was helped up by athletic trainers and taken into the locker room and did not return to the game shortly after.
This is a significant loss for the orange and blue because the Mountain Brook, Alabama, native was a key bench player that brought energy to the players and fans. He spent five seasons with the team, starting off as a walk-on before earning a scholarship this season.
Even with this heartbreaking injury, head coach Bruce Pearl was still very satisfied with the win last Saturday. He gave some compliments about the tenacious defense making key plays to prevent Mississippi State from making it a close game.
“I thought the fact that we played well early, shot it well early, and the fact that we were able to turn them over 10 times and get them to run their offense way away from their comfort zone made it harder for them to get the ball into their deep touches,” Pearl said.
Pearl also complimented Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans after the game.
“He’s a great coach,” Pearl said. “His teams play hard, they play physically. He’s doing some really good things offensively.”
The orange and blue are now ranked 13th in the AP poll, and still stand at fifth place in the conference, behind Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina and Kentucky. If the Tigers want to keep their position or possibly go up to third, they must win out and get help from losses from the teams above them.
Taking a look at Missouri, the Tigers are led by guard Sean East II. The senior guard is averaging 17.5 points and 4.1 assists while shooting a blistering 53.8% from the field and 46.6% percent from the three-point line. His average point total ranks fifth in the conference.
While East II is an explosive scorer, his scoring does not reflect the rest of the team. The Tigers are 12th in the SEC in points per game (72.3) and 12th in the SEC in three-point percentage (32.3%).
Missouri also tends to struggle on the glass. The Tigers are dead last in the SEC at 30.8 rebounds per game and have the worst rebounding margin per game in the conference at -6.34.
Auburn plays the Missouri Tigers in Columbia, Missouri, on Tuesday, March 5, at 8 p.m. CST. The game will be broadcasted on the SEC Network.
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Albert Osorio is a senior from Hoover, Alabama, who is majoring in journalism. He joined The Plainsman in January 2024.
