AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn Tigers (21-7, 10-5) host the Mississippi State Bulldogs (19-9, 8-7) at Neville Arena Saturday. In January, the Bulldogs topped the Tigers in Starkville 64-58. Auburn is looking to return the favor as they seek a top-four seed entering the SEC Tournament.
While winning the conference is still in play for the Tigers, it is very unlikely after their tough road loss in Knoxville Wednesday night. The goal now is to win out and secure one of four double byes in the conference tournament. Step one is beating a tough Mississippi State team that had the Tigers’ number in their last meeting.
In their January matchup, Auburn found success stopping Tolu Smith from having a dominant game, but in doing so, forgot other Bulldogs were dangerous. Josh Hubbard went off for 17 points, and Cameron Matthews and D.J. Jeffries combined for 23 rebounds, leading State to a victory both on the boards and on the scoreboard. Stopping the Bulldogs on the glass is priority number one for coach Bruce Pearl’s squad.
The Tigers will look to build on two terrific offensive performances on the road, scoring 97 at Georgia and 84 at Tennessee. Freshman guard Aden Holloway seemed to find his shot in Athens after a tough go of it in conference play to that point. Big man Johni Broome has continued to produce at an all-conference level. The senior has put up 16.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game on the season, and has added another facet to his game, shooting 37.1% from three. Jaylin Williams returned against Tennessee and appears to be his old self. His imposing presence will be key for the Tigers Saturday.
The Bulldogs enter the contest having won six of their last seven, falling short in their midweek matchup versus Kentucky by way of some Reed Sheppard magic. Nonetheless, State is a tough team that has hit their stride at the right time. Watch out for them to win some big games in March.
Both teams want this one badly. The Tigers and Bulldogs tip off inside Neville Arena at 3 p.m. Saturday. Watch on ESPN2 or listen on the Auburn Sports Network.
