SEC Tournament: Mississippi State vs Auburn

0:00On March 10th, the SEC Tournament kicked off Wednesday with some high stakes in the first round, especially in the match-up between 13 seeded. Mississippi State and 12 seeded Auburn. The Bulldogs sit at 13 wins and 18 losses after a tough regular season, just hoping to extend their year by one more game. Auburn, at 16 and 15 overall, is on the NCAA Tournament bubble and really needs this win to solidify their spot. This is a rematch from February, when Auburn edged out Mississippi State 91 to 85 in a high-scoring affair. Josh Hubbard lit it up for the Bulldogs with 46 points, including a school record 35 in the first half, but Auburn adjusted and pulled. A way late. Mississippi State coach Chris Jans knows tournaments bring extra intensity under the lights in Nashville. He expects his team to feed off that energy, while Auburn feels the pressure after dropping nine of their last 11 games. Both squats struggled defensively, but State has shown better purpose on that end in spots. Lately, the Bulldogs have heated up from beyond the arc and gotten more from forward

1:03Quincy Ballard inside, plus contributions from Jaden Epps and Jabori McGee. Auburn relies on scores like Keeshawn Hall and to Hyde Petiford, who can light up the lane or the three-point line, though their defense gives up. Plenty of long-range looks. With tip-off at 130 central time, a strong start could swing it either way, deciding if Mississippi State season lives on or wraps up