Auburn basketball vs. Mississippi State in SEC Tournament: Score prediction
NASHVILLE — The path is there for Auburn basketball.
The Tigers did what they were expected to do against South Carolina in the SEC Tournament on Friday, dropping the Gamecocks in another double-digit victory; all 25 of Auburn's triumphs this season have been by 10 or more points, one dominant win shy of tying the 1998-99 Tigers for the most in program history.
Auburn (25-7), advancing to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament for the first time since 2019, is set to go up against Mississippi State on Saturday (Noon CT, ESPN). The No. 9 Bulldogs (21-12) are the lowest seed remaining in the tournament, but they handled LSU by 10 points Thursday and impressed with a 17-point victory over top-seed Tennessee on Friday.
Here's a scouting report on Mississippi State, as well as a prediction for how we see this one playing out.
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Mississippi State and Auburn basketball in the regular season
The Tigers and Bulldogs have played twice already this season, with Mississippi State winning in Starkville in January and Auburn winning in Neville Arena in March. The Bulldogs gave coach Bruce Pearl's team fits by playing some suffocating defense, holding the Tigers to a 33.9% mark from the field.
It was an especially bad first half for Auburn; it scored just 21 points and missed all but two of its 10 attempts from 3-point range.
How Mississippi State beat Tennessee in the SEC Tournament
Tennessee entered as the heavy favorite, but Mississippi State looked like a much better team Friday.
The Vols could never find their rhythm, as the Bulldogs put on a similar defensive performance they showed they were capable of the first time against Auburn. Tennessee shot a putrid 30.6%, and star wing Dalton Knecht was limited to 14 points on 4-for-17 shooting.
Mississippi State also pounded the Vols around the basket, scoring 42 points in the paint.
Josh Hubbard remains one of the SEC's most dangerous players
Freshman guard Josh Hubbard is one of the scariest players an SEC team can game plan for.
The 5-foot-10 Hubbard is averaging 26.1 points over his last seven games. He's hitting his triples at a 41% rate over that stretch while firing off 11.9 per game. He's also averaging 35.4 minutes per game, a stark contrast from Auburn's philosophy of leaning on its depth.
"The most a person plays on our team is 25 minutes," Johni Broome said Friday. "A lot of players play 36 minutes, and that's what they're going to do, is play 36 minutes, three games in a row. It keeps us fresh for tomorrow and the next day."
Auburn basketball vs. Mississippi State in SEC Tournament: Score prediction
▶ Auburn 69, Mississippi State 68: Expect a slugfest between the Tigers and Bulldogs, who have the No. 5 and No. 20 adjusted defensive efficiencies in the nation, per KenPom. The key for Auburn will be how Broome holds up on the inside against fellow All-SEC big man Tolu Smith. Everything else can be for not, though, if Hubbard gets into a zone and starts connecting on 3-pointer after 3-pointer.
Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.
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