Mississippi State basketball almost couldn't have had an uglier performance than they put together Tuesday evening. The #15 Bulldogs were boat-raced by #1 Auburn, losing 88-66. The Tigers were as thoroughly dominant as you'd expect the #1 team to be playing at home, and they put together that performance without their best player, Johni Broome.
State saw their offense stifled by the Tiger defense, and the Auburn offense took anything it wanted. The Bulldogs even fell victim to some embarrassing trolling online in the midst of the beatdown. It was a night everyone involved with the program will want to quickly forget.
The Auburn Tigers totally outclassed Mississippi State basketball
From the opening tip it was evident that, at least for this game, Mississippi State didn't belong on the same court as Auburn. The Tigers opened the game on a 10-0 run, and as quickly as the Bulldogs got back in it, Auburn pushed the lead back out to double-digits and never looked back.
But beyond simply playing a better game, the Tigers completely outclassed the Bulldogs. They had 10 blocks with nine coming in the first half. They forced State into 16 turnovers and had 11 steals. No defense has done that to MSU this year. It was more than just an off-shooting night (which at 34.9% and just 3-24 from three, shooting was certainly off too). State got manhandled.
Adding to that point, offensively, Auburn put up 88 points on a 55% shooting performance with just nine assists. Their roster across the board was able to simply create their own shot against a team that's supposed to pride itself in defense. It looked like a high-major playing a bad mid-major team.
Obviously, Auburn is an outstanding team. They're loaded with high-level talent and are capable of beating anyone, most by a lot. Also, the Jungle has been a house of horrors for the Bulldogs (State's last win at Auburn came in 2015). Even without Johni Broome, a win wasn't expected. But for a Bulldog team hoping to take the next step, not even being competitive with Auburn for any extended stretch is disappointing.