After a tough loss Wednesday to Tennessee to fall to 21-7 on the season, Auburn heads back to the Plains to host Mississippi State in the penultimate home game of the season. Auburn boasts a 13-1 record at home this season, as it looks to keep its hopes alive for a SEC regular season championship.
Despite the loss, Auburn kept it close with Tennessee, having an eight-point lead midway through the second half before Dalton Knecht scored 25 points in the final 12 minutes to seal the win for the Vols. Auburn currently sits two games back of Tennessee and Alabama for first place in the SEC standings with a win Saturday being crucial to staying in the race with only three games left remaining.
Mississippi State is also coming off a crushing loss Tuesday, where Kentucky freshman Reed Sheppard hit a go-ahead basket with .5 seconds left to win the game. The loss brings the Bulldogs' season record to 19-9 and 8-7 in conference play, as they look to bounce back and complete the season sweep of Auburn.
The last time these two teams met was Jan. 27 in Starkville, where Mississippi State handed Auburn a 64-58 loss. Since that game both teams are 5-3, with Mississippi State trying to capture a Quad 1 win to bolster its NCAA Tournament resume as the Bulldogs are currently a projected eight seed.
The Bulldogs preferred way of winning games is with their defense, boasting the 17th-ranked defense in the country according to KenPom – holding teams to 68.3 points per game. Their defense is helped by the slow pace they like to play at, ranking 177th in the country in adjusted tempo.
Mississippi State likes to slow the game down so it can set up its offense and play through Tolu Smith III in the post and Josh Hubbard on the perimeter. On the season, the Bulldogs are averaging 75.3 points per game but still rank 65th in offensive efficiency in the country according to KenPom.
Smith III is a senior big man who on the season is averaging 16.8 points and 8.1 rebounds on 60% shooting. Smith III has been one of the best big men in the SEC for the last two to three years, and Auburn will have to contend with him around the low post.
The Bulldogs’ other main offensive weapon is freshman guard Hubbard. Hubbard has been an All-SEC caliber player as a freshman – averaging 15.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists. In his previous two games against Kentucky and LSU, Hubbard scored 34 and 32 points, hitting at least six 3-pointer in both games.
Auburn will need to key in on keeping Hubbard in check from three since Mississippi State is a poor shooting team outside of him. As a team, the Bulldogs shoot 32.7 % from three, and 67% from the free-throw line.
If Auburn can ride its defense early and build a quick lead, the Tigers could avenge their earlier season loss to get back in the win column. The game airs on EPSN2 with tipoff at 3 p.m. CST in Neville Arena.
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Luke McClure is a junior from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in sports production. He joined The Plainsman in fall 2023.
Twitter: @lukemcclure0
