Basketball in the Southeastern Conference in 2025 is as unforgiving as ever.

The challenge of SEC play never goes away, no matter how healthy or rested your team is. Auburn will get a taste of that on Tuesday night when it is faced with the task of facing No. 15 Mississippi State without All-American center Johni Broome.

Playing against a team with the firepower and physicality of Mississippi State would be difficult at full strength, but without their best player it will be even more difficult for the Tigers.

The Bulldogs are one of the SEC’s dark horses this season. Although they start the campaign unranked, they are storming into the top 15 and look to be a tough opponent for any team in the country.

Chris Jans’ team is coming off a five-point home loss to Kentucky, but won its first two SEC games by double digits and scored its most impressive win on Dec. 21, beating No. 18 Memphis.

Here’s a closer look at Mississippi State before Tuesday’s game:

The season so far

Mississippi State enters Tuesday’s game at 14-2 (2-1 SEC), with losses to Butler and Kentucky.

As mentioned, the Bulldogs got their best win at Memphis, but they also have Quad I wins at Vanderbilt, at SMU and at home against Pittsburgh. Particularly impressive was the Pitt win, which defeated the Panthers by 33 points one game after losing to Butler.

Prior to the loss to Kentucky, Mississippi State was on an eight-game winning streak that included victories over Pitt, Memphis and Vanderbilt, as well as victories over McNeese State and South Carolina.

That resume puts Mississippi State at No. 18 in the NCAA NET rankings, making Tuesday’s game a Quad-I opportunity for Auburn. It is the Tigers’ ninth Quad I game so far this season, tying them with Oregon for most Quad I games played and most wins (7).

What sets Mississippi State apart this season is its offense. The Bulldogs have always been known for their defense under Jans, but their offensive rating of 120.2 is the highest in the state of Mississippi during Jans’ tenure.

“I think Chris Jans has always been recognized as a great defensive coach,” Bruce Pearl said during his press conference Monday afternoon. “But this year this could be one of his best offensive teams. They really shoot. They manage things that are difficult to guard.”

Players to watch

Offensively, it’s hard to talk about Mississippi State without first mentioning sophomore guard Josh Hubbard.

Hubbard leads the team with 17 points per game and has the highest usage rate on the team, according to KenPom. He is also one of the most productive 3-point shooters in the SEC, ranking second in the conference in attempts (134), just one point behind Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier.

At 5-foot-10, his speed and low center of gravity make him difficult to defend one-on-one, and Mississippi State likes to run much of its offense through him. Last season, he averaged 20 points in three games against Auburn while shooting 39.5% from the field and 35.7% from three.

Another player to keep an eye on is 6-foot-1, 220-pound forward Cameron Matthews, who is in his fifth year with the program and leads the team with four assists per game.

Like Broome for Auburn, Matthews is an effective playmaker up front and has enough skill and physicality to score even at the rim, averaging 8.7 points per game. He’s also an efficient scorer, according to KenPom, with an effective field goal percentage of 62.6% putting him in the top 100 in the country.

“Matthews has been one of the best players in the league for a long time,” Pearl said.

Key to the game

Be competitive on the glass

Defensive rebounding has been a weakness for Auburn in recent games, and the task will only become more difficult with Broome out.

Broome is averaging 10.7 rebounds per game and Auburn’s next top rebounder – Chaney Johnson – is averaging 5.3. Rebounding was a big problem against South Carolina, as it gave up 15 offensive rebounds to a team that ranks 11th in the SEC in offensive rebounds per game.

Mississippi State is ranked in the middle of the pack at No. 8, but its offensive rebound percentage of 35.1% puts it in the top 50 in the country, according to KenPom. With Broome out, there’s an added responsibility on players like Johnson, Dylan Cardwell and Ja’Heim Hudson to step up defensively.

Avoid turnovers

Auburn performed well in this category for most of the season, ranking third nationally with the lowest turnover rate. However, Mississippi State is a team that will test your ball security.

The Bulldogs’ steal percentage (14.4%) ranks 10th nationally and can lead to inconsistencies in transition for Hubbard, a difficult task even for the defender assigned to guard him.

Not having Broome will likely impact how well Auburn can play inside-out and take away his passing ability in the post. Still, Auburn can’t afford to force passes or its defense will be at a disadvantage the entire game.

Chaney Johnson

Johnson will likely replace Broome in the starting lineup and could be the most important player on the floor for Auburn on Tuesday night.

He doesn’t have to be a carbon copy of his All-American teammate – no one is – but Auburn needs to get some production out of him on offense and, more importantly, he needs him on the court.

That means staying out of foul trouble, and Johnson admitted he needs to get better at that. Still, he’s more than capable of playing a big game.

Johnson had 26 points when Broome left the Georgia State game early with an injury and recorded a double-double in Auburn’s win over Houston in November.

Another game like this certainly wouldn’t hurt against Mississippi State.

Peter Rauterkus reports on Auburn Sports AL.com. You can follow him on X below @peter_rauterkus or send him an email at [email protected]M