Auburn opens SEC Tournament vs Mississippi State on Wednesday
· Yahoo Sports
The regular season did not end how Auburn basketball wanted or needed it to. The Tigers needed a win to impress the NCAA Tournament selection committee. They lost to the Crimson Tide 96-84 to end the season with an overall record of 16-15 and 7-11 in the SEC. The Tigers' hopes are not gone, though. They can still improve their record by playing well in the SEC Tournament that begins on Wednesday in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Due to its loss to Alabama, Auburn dropped to the No. 12 seed in the SEC Tournament and will play Mississippi State, the No. 13 seed in the field. The winner of that matchup will play Tennessee on Thursday. Then that game would set up a game with the No. 4 seed Vanderbilt.
One of the Tigers' surprising losses down the stretch was against Mississippi State. In that game, Bulldogs guard Josh Hubbard scored 36 of his 46 points in the first half. Hubbard seemed to make every difficult shot he took in the game. Overall, he was 10 of 16 from beyond the three-point line and 15 of 27 from the floor. Auburn did do a good job of holding him to just 10 points in the second half. Auburn made a big run in the second half after trailing by 16 at halftime, but lost a game they were favored to win 91-85.
If Auburn is to make it past Mississippi State, it will need to get off to a fast start against the Tennessee Volunteers. Auburn lost 77-69 to Tennessee on Jan. 31, and a slow start offensively was a big reason for the defeat. After trailing 41-31 at halftime, the Tigers outscored the Volunteers 38-36 in the second half. They proved they can beat the Volunteers, but the Tigers will need to start fast.
Auburn and Mississippi State are scheduled as the second game of the first round on Wednesday. They will follow the game between LSU and Kentucky 25 minutes after its conclusion. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
Steven Pearl after Auburn falls to 16-15:
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 8, 2026
"We have the best win in college basketball at Florida. If you look at our quality wins and other teams on the bubble, I don't think those teams get those wins... I think our resume stands up against anybody's"pic.twitter.com/PqVTEdZKeb
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: SEC Tournament: Auburn to face Mississippi State in round one