AUBURN, Ala. – Before Wednesday, the last time Auburn lost was early December at Appalachian State, and the Tigers responded by beating Indiana 104-76 the next time out and winning 11 straight games, including the first five SEC contests.
Next Game:
at Mississippi State
Jan. 27, 2024
2:30 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
With the winning streak snapped this week at Alabama, how will No. 8 Auburn respond after a loss this time with another tough road game at Mississippi State on Saturday?
"The league is a grind," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "I think they were disappointed. We walked away (from Alabama) knowing we had a chance to win. I know we didn't quit. I know close losses on the road against Quad 1 opponents are not going to hurt your analytics, which are important. But we didn't play very well. And so, we've got to try to play better.
"This will not be any easier at all. We've had a little bit more success historically against Mississippi State, but I just don't think that matters as much.
"I think we're a really good team. I've said we're not as good as what people think we are given our ranking. I think our guys have played well to their ability. The question is can you play well when the competition steps up? That's the challenge. We don't need to play better than we did in the first five games when we won, but can we play that way against Alabama at Alabama and against Mississippi State at Mississippi State? Or can we keep playing that way? How will some adversity affect us? How will some losses affect us?"
Saturday's game will feature two of the better big men in the SEC with Auburn's Johni Broome and Mississippi State's Tolu Smith.
Broome is coming off arguably his best performance of the season with 25 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks at Alabama. He's currently ninth in the conference with 15.8 points per game and second with 8.7 rebounds per game. Smith has only played in seven games this season but is averaging 18.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
"Tolu Smith is a dominating inside player," Pearl said. "He and Johni Broome are two of the best bigs in the SEC. In these matchups, it's really not Tolu vs. Johni. It's Auburn vs. Mississippi State. But (I'm) just giving both those guys some recognition."
No. 8 Auburn and Mississippi State will tip off at 2:30 p.m. CT from Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville. Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey have the radio call on 94.3 FM, online at AuburnTigers.com and on the Auburn app. The game will be televised on SEC Network.
PLAYER TO WATCH: JOHNI BROOME
Junior big man Johni Broome had a huge game against in-state rival Alabama on Wednesday night pouring in a game-high 25 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots. It marked his 54th career double-double and eighth of the season. It was also his fourth 20-point and 10-rebound game of the season. He's the first SEC player since Kentucky's Anthony Davis to put up that stat line (25/24/5). Davis did it against Arkansas in 2012.
Broome is currently on a 10-game double-digit scoring streak where he is averaging 16.4 points on 53.6 shooting from the floor. He is also averaging 8.7 rebounds per contest.
INSIDE THE SERIES: MISSISSIPPI STATE
Auburn leads 81-70 in the all-time series with Mississippi State (including vacated wins in the series) and is 28-15 all-time at Humphrey Coliseum.
Auburn has won five straight in the series dating back to March 2019. The last time the Tigers traveled to Starkville, they beat the Bulldogs 81-68 in overtime to claim at least a share of the 2022 SEC regular-season championship title. Jabari Smith led the way with 27 points and 10 rebounds while K.D. Johnson chipped in 14 points.
NOT EASY FROM 3
Mississippi State and Auburn rank 1-2 in the SEC in 3-point field goal percentage defense. Both are holding teams under 30 percent from beyond the arc this season.
The Bulldogs have missed their last 36 3-point attempts against Auburn dating back to the second half of the teams' matchup during the regular-season finale of the 2020-21 season. Mississippi State went 0-of-18 from long range at Neville Arena last season and was 0-of-13 from deep in an overtime loss to Auburn in Starkville in 2022. The Bulldogs also missed their final five 3-poitners of the second half in 2021 in Auburn.
STILL IN RARE COMPANY
Auburn's three losses this season have been by a combined 15 points: Baylor (-6), Appalachian State (-5) and Alabama (-4). Auburn is one of 19 NCAA Division I schools with three losses or less on the season. Of those schools, the Tigers are one of just five with only single-digit losses, and they have the sixth-fewest deficit in those combined losses (-15).