AUBURN, Ala. – Two years ago, Auburn won the SEC regular season championship. Last year, the Tigers reached the Final Four. But as good as those two teams were, neither could boast that they were undefeated heading into SEC play.
This year's Auburn team can. At 12-0, the 8th-ranked Tigers are the first SEC team to enter league play unbeaten since South Carolina (13-0) did it during the 2015-16 season.
But now, with conference games tipping off Saturday, it's the start of a new challenge for this Auburn team. In SEC play, the games mean a little more, and the opponents only get more difficult. And for the third straight year, the Tigers will begin that SEC grind on the road as they travel to Starkville to face a talented and athletic Mississippi State team.
"These are opportunity games," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "Mississippi State is going to win most of their games at home in the SEC. There's only a handful of teams that can beat them there [in Starkville]. These are the kind of games that can get you 1-up on the league if you can get them. For us to get this game, we're going to have to play our best game so far."
Auburn suffered a 92-84 loss to Mississippi State last year in Starkville, but that team was without Austin Wiley. This year, the senior big man is healthy and playing his best basketball with five double-doubles in his last eight games.
"It will be great to have Austin's physicality, there's no question," Pearl said. "They've got to deal with him, and they've got to deal with us."
Saturday's game will tip off at 3:30 p.m. CT from Humphrey Coliseum. Andy Burcham and Sonny Smith will have the radio call on 93.9 Tiger FM, online at AuburnTigers.com and on the TuneIn app. The game will also be televised on SEC Network with Mike Morgan and Pat Bradley on the call.
Player to watch: Austin Wiley
Austin Wiley is making the most of his final season in orange and blue, especially as of late. The senior is averaging 12.2 points and 10.4 boards per contest over the last nine games. In that span, Wiley has amassed five double-doubles, scoring in double figures in eight games and pulling down at least eight rebounds in each game.
Inside the series: Mississippi State
Auburn and Mississippi State are set to square off for the 148th time Saturday afternoon. The Tigers hold a 77-70 advantage all-time, but trail 44-26 in Starkville. It's been tough sledding for Auburn in Humphrey Coliseum recently as the Tigers are just 2-15 since 2001, winning in 2009 and 2018.
Head coach Bruce Pearl, however, is 4-2 at The Hump in his career and is 9-5 against the Bulldogs all-time. Pearl is 4-3 against current Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland.
Auburn in SEC openers
Auburn is 38-48 (.442) in SEC openers since the league's first season in 1932-33, including a 2-3 mark under head coach Bruce Pearl. The Tigers are 12-28 when opening SEC play on the road, including 1-2 under Pearl. At 12-0 this year, Auburn is the first SEC team to enter league play undefeated since South Carolina (13-0) during the 2015-16 season.
Racking up the wins
Auburn is currently riding the seventh-longest winning streak in program history at 12 games. The Tigers are no stranger to this long of a winning run as Auburn is one of just three programs in the country to boast three separate 12-game winning streaks over the last three seasons, along with Michigan State and Virginia.