With one of the best post players in college basketball sitting on the bench in street clothes for the newly-anointed No. 1 team in the country, Mississippi State did the natural thing and tried to pound the ball inside.
But top-ranked Auburn had reinforcements, denying the Bulldogs at the rim repeatedly and putting the game away in the first half. No. 15 MSU fell 88-66 to the Tigers at Neville Arena, losing back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Even without Johni Broome, Auburn had as many blocked shots in the first half (nine) as the Bulldogs had made field goals. Chaney Johnson, making his first start of the year in place of Broome, had four of those blocks.
“They were as good as advertised,” MSU head coach Chris Jans said. “They were very talented, and they seemed to have a really good chemistry. Broome being out, they rallied around him and picked up the slack. They were ready to go.”
The Tigers’ interior defense hardly missed a beat with Broome, who injured his ankle last Saturday at South Carolina, not in uniform. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs were also shorthanded — Riley Kugel was out with an ankle injury of his own. The SEC Network broadcast said Kugel participated in the pregame shootaround but did not feel up to playing and was also in street clothes during the game.
Without one of its better outside shooters, MSU (14-3, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) finished 3-for-24 from 3-point range, by far its worst performance of the season from behind the arc. Claudell Harris Jr. made the Bulldogs’ only 3-pointer of the first half, and Josh Hubbard connected twice from deep in the second half for his only two field goals of the game. Hubbard led MSU with 17 points, but 11 of them came at the free throw line.
“We teach paint touches, but sometimes when you put your head down before you move the defense, it’s counterproductive, especially when they’re so big and physical at the rim,” Jans said. “The game was a little different in how it was officiated in both halves, but their physicality at the rim gave us fits in the first half.”
Auburn (16-1, 4-0) was also dialed in offensively. Chad Baker-Mazara had a season-high 20 points and Johnson added 17, and they were a combined 15-for-21 from the floor. Miles Kelly chipped in with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Denver Jones and Tahaad Pettiford were in double figures as well.
The Tigers made 13 of their last 19 field goals in the first half, capped by a Baker-Mazara 3-pointer just ahead of the buzzer. They later hit six shots in a row in the second half, extending their lead out to 26 points.
RJ Melendez recorded his first double-double at MSU with 15 points and 10 boards, and KeShawn Murphy added 11 points and eight rebounds. The Bulldogs did have a 20-7 edge on the offensive glass and a 24-8 edge in second-chance points, and they also outscored Auburn in the paint, 38-36.
MSU returns to Humphrey Coliseum on Saturday to face No. 21 Ole Miss. The Rebels and Auburn are the last two unbeaten teams in SEC play after Ole Miss earned a massive road win Tuesday night over No. 4 Alabama.
“We’re going to find out how resilient we are,” Jans said. “The majority of the teams in this league are going to go through some tough stretches, and (it’s about) whoever can stay together, be resilient, learn, grow, stay connected (and) believe in each other.”
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