March 7, 2026; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Auburn Tigers coach Stephen Pearl cheers on his players during the first half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Image NASHVILLE – Kevin Overton’s 22 points, five assists and four rebounds helped Auburn boost its NCAA Tournament hopes with a 79-61 win over Mississippi State in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Wednesday.
The Tigers (17-15) got 15 points and nine rebounds from Keshaun Murphy, 14 points from Keshaun Hall and 13 from Tahad Pettiford.
Auburn will face fifth-seeded Tennessee (21-10) on Thursday afternoon.
The Tigers’ defense struggled, but Mississippi State’s points total was the fewest an SEC team has scored against Auburn this season. Auburn beat Mississippi State 43-39 and had seven turnovers to the Bulldogs’ 11.
Mississippi State (13-19) got 22 points from leading scorer Josh Hubbard, who had 46 points against Auburn in regular-season matchups and 42 points in Saturday’s loss to Georgia. But Hubbard finished 8 of 25 from the floor and missed both of his second-half 3-point attempts.
Mississippi State’s second-leading scorer, Jayden Epps, had 14 points and went 6 of 16 from the floor.
Auburn fell behind by eight points early in the second half, but Overton’s four 3-pointers punctuated a 21-2 run that gave the Tigers a 51-40 lead with 13:13 left.
The Bulldogs got within three times, but Auburn responded with a score each time, extending the lead once again.
Another Overton 3, his sixth and the team’s 11th, with 3:03 left gave the Tigers a 71-59 advantage.
Mississippi State led 33-30 at the half behind 13 points from Hubbard, who was 5-of-14 from the floor.
Auburn shot 35.7% from the floor in the first period as Murphy and Overton led the Tigers with seven points each.
Murphy, who spent the last three years at Mississippi State, opened the game by scoring all of Auburn’s points, making his first three shots to take a 7-2 lead.
But Murphy was whistled for a technical foul for taunting the Mississippi State bench just 1 minute and 50 seconds into the contest after hitting a 3-pointer at the end of the game.
That put the Bulldogs up 31-16 for a 33-23 lead with 2:34 left in the first half. Auburn scored the final seven points of the first half to cut the deficit.
– Chris Lee, Field Level Media
