By Brant Daughtry
Once again, we can’t complain about road wins in this league. If you get out alive, you’ve got to take that result. With that said though, this is about as concerning as a win gets. As far as the rest of the schedule goes, this is as easy as it gets. There’s no easier game on the schedule, especially for the remaining road games.
Not to mention, Johni Broome is down again, and this time it looks like he’ll miss some games. The good news for Auburn at least, is that after the Georgia game on Saturday, they have a week off where Broome will hopefully be able to get most of that recovery out of the way. We’ve talked about this already. Auburn can still win games without Broome, but it won’t be the team it needs to be to win titles. These two games against State and UGA are winnable, but other guys are going to need to step up. A lot’s going to be asked of Turtle Hudson, Dylan Cardwell, and Chaney Johnson.
Mississippi State is coached by Chris Jans, who’s in his third season. He’s gotten State serious about basketball, winning 20+ games and making the Tournament in each of his first two years. In year three, he’s taken the program to the next step. State is a premier team in the league right now, ranked 18th in NET. If you watched any of their shootout loss to Kentucky on Saturday, you know how legit they are. Defensively, they generate a ton of turnovers and don’t give up open looks. The offense isn’t reliant on the three ball, but their inside play is consistent, and with Broome out and the fact that this team hasn’t done a great job against inside scoring in league play this year, that matchup worries me some.
Players to Watch For:
Guard Josh Hubbard, #12- Hubbard was ranked as one of the best guards in the league coming into the season, and he’s lived up to expectations and then some. Last year, he scored 17 against Auburn in the second half to hand Auburn a loss. While the team doesn’t rely on threes, if anyone for State is going to take them, it’s probably going to be him. He’s a load to deal with, and a lot will be asked of Auburn’s guards in defense.
Forward Cam Matthew, #4- Matthews is a load down low. He’s undersized as a forward at just 6-7, but at 235 lbs, he’s able to muscle through taller bodies. He’s not going to threaten Auburn from deep, but with Broome out and the way that Auburn has had major issues dealing with scoring forwards in SEC play so far, Matthews is a danger. He’s the only player on the team that’s averaged over 30 minutes in SEC play, so Auburn will see a lot of him. Another thing to keep an eye on, he’s getting almost three steals a game. That’s a pretty insane number.
This week is going to ask a lot of Auburn. State and Georgia, who I’ll preview later in the week, are two legit teams, and you have to go on the road for one of those games. With Broome out, the home crowd will be massive for Auburn against State. Show up if you can, that crowd makes a difference.
