No. 5 Auburn faces Mississippi State after Smith's 27-point game
Auburn Tigers (25-4, 13-3 SEC) at Mississippi State Bulldogs (17-12, 8-8 SEC)
Starkville, Mississippi; Wednesday, 9 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: No. 5 Auburn faces the Mississippi State Bulldogs after Jabari Smith scored 27 points in Auburn's 67-62 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers.
The Bulldogs are 14-2 in home games. Mississippi State is ninth in the SEC with 13.3 assists per game led by Iverson Molinar averaging 3.7.
The Tigers are 13-3 against SEC opponents. Auburn ranks eighth in the SEC shooting 31.8% from 3-point range.
The Bulldogs and Tigers square off Wednesday for the first time in SEC play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Molinar is scoring 18.1 points per game with 3.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Bulldogs. Tolu Smith is averaging 8.6 points over the past 10 games for Mississippi State.
Jabari Smith averages 2.2 made 3-pointers per game for the Tigers, scoring 16.6 points while shooting 42.2% from beyond the arc. Walker Kessler is averaging nine points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.6 blocks over the last 10 games for Auburn.
LAST 10 GAMES: Bulldogs: 4-6, averaging 63.2 points, 30.1 rebounds, 9.4 assists, 9.8 steals and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 41.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 62.2 points per game.
Tigers: 7-3, averaging 69.7 points, 31.0 rebounds, 13.1 assists, 8.0 steals and 6.6 blocks per game while shooting 41.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 66.2 points.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by
