Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Wildcard Edition
The Auburn Tigers (13-3, 3-1) will host the Mississippi State Bulldogs (12-4, 1-3) in a SEC showdown Saturday night. The Tigers are rated No. 19 in the BPI according to the College Basketball Power Index, and Mississippi State is 46th.
Auburn is No. 16 according to KenPom, which has them as the third highest-rated team in the SEC behind Alabama and Arkansas. The Tigers are 15th in adjusted defensive efficiency and 52nd on offense. Auburn opened up the season with eight straight wins, including victories over Northwestern and Colgate, before dropping games against Memphis and USC over a three game stretch. The Tigers have not made losing a habit, as they They have won four of their last five games and two in a row after beating Ole Miss 82-73 on Tuesday.
Back home in the jungle tomorrow night! #WarEaglehttps://t.co/Qe6dczpWQP
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) January 14, 2023
The Tigers are balanced with 5'11 guard Wendell Green Jr. leading the team with 13.4 ppg, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Green Jr. scored a season-high 23 points in Tuesday's win over Ole Miss, making all 11 of his free-throw attempts. Johni Broome leads the team with 8.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks and is second with 13.3 ppg. Broome has 19 points and 11 rebounds against Ole Miss.