February 18, 2026; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Auburn Tigers guard/forward Kevin Overton (1) reacts as Mississippi State Bulldogs guard Josh Hubbard (12) chats with guard Shawn Jones Jr. (5) during the final minutes of the second half at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Image Auburn must win Wednesday against Mississippi State in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament in Nashville, Tennessee.
The 12th-seeded Tigers (16-15) are squarely in the NCAA Tournament bubble, the last team in the standings according to ESPN’s Bracketology and the first team in the Bracket Matrix entering week h.
The Tigers were ranked No. 40 in the NET rankings on Monday, but have lost eight of their last 10 games, including a 96-84 loss to then-No. 1 on Saturday. 16 Alabama dropped Auburn to 4-12 in Quad 1.
“We had five of the best wins in the country,” Tigers coach Stephen Pearl said. “We had the best win in college basketball at Florida. If you look at our quality win and the other teams in the bubble, I don’t think they can get that win.”
The Tigers are 3-2 in Quad 2, including a loss at No. 13 seed Mississippi State (13-18) on Feb. 8. Josh Hubbard made a school-record 10 3-pointers and scored a career-high 46 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 91-85 victory.
Auburn’s defensive incompetence (124 hours out of KenPom.com’s Adjusted Defensive Efficiency) cost Mississippi State dearly in that game, as they shot 50% from the field and 53.3% from long range (16 of 30).
Hubbard ended the regular season with 42 points in Saturday’s 102-96 home loss to Georgia. He averaged 22.1 points per game, second-most in the SEC.
“Yes, considering what he did the first time we played at home, I don’t think you’ll find a brighter red pen to circle him on Auburn’s scouting report,” Bulldogs coach Chris Jans said Monday.
The Tigers have leading scorers of their own in Keyshawn Hall (20.4 ppg), Tahaad Pettiford (15.2), Kevin Overton (13.3), and KeShawn Murphy (10.6), who spent his first three years at Mississippi State and was second at Auburn in rebounds (6.8) behind Hall (6.9).
The Bulldogs’ wild card is Jayden Epps (13.7), who is capable of big scoring games (Missouri 23, Texas 27), and has scored above average only once in his last nine games (14 vs. Florida).
–Field level media
