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Auburn's NCAA Hopes Hinge on SEC Rematch With Mississippi State

Josh Hubbard's 46-point, 10-three outburst in February forces Auburn to tighten its perimeter defense.

Overview

  • No. 12 seed Auburn (16-15) faces No. 13 seed Mississippi State on Wednesday in Nashville on SEC Network at Bridgestone Arena.
  • The first meeting ended 91-85 for the Bulldogs after Hubbard hit a school-record 10 threes and piled up 35 points before halftime on his way to 46.
  • Auburn sits squarely on the bubble, projected as the last team in by ESPN and the first team out by Bracket Matrix, with a NET ranking of 40 after dropping eight of its past ten.
  • Coach Steven Pearl attributed several of Hubbard’s makes to early coverage mistakes and stressed eliminating clean looks from deep in the rematch.
  • Mississippi State arrives on a six-game slide despite Hubbard’s 21- and 42-point finishes to the regular season, and a loss would likely end Auburn’s at-large case.