Auburn Surges Past Mississippi State, Eyes SEC Showdown with Tennessee

Led by Kevin Overton’s second-half surge and a revenge performance from KeShawn Murphy, Auburn rockets past Mississippi State 79-61 in the SEC Tournament’s opening round.

After a month of warnings that their season was on the line, the Tigers woke up just in time in Nashville.

Experience Matters - KeShawn Murphy and Kevin Overton

Down three at halftime, Kevin Overton’s 15 second-half points helped Auburn create a run that the Bulldogs could not overcome. Overton finished the game with 22 points, shooting 8-of-19 from the field.

KeShawn Murphy got Auburn off to a red-hot start, scoring the Tigers’ first seven points. Unfortunately he was immediately issued a technical foul that would take the wind out of Auburn's sails for taunting the Bulldogs' bench.

However, Murphy would come back in the second half ready to finish off his old team. One rebound shy of another double-double, he finished with 15 very efficient points and nine rebounds. He shot 6-of-7 from the floor and made both free throws.

Murphy and Overton share a rare trait on this Auburn squad: both have NCAA Tournament experience. They know what it takes to perform when the stakes are highest.

While Murphy isn’t a deep-run veteran, Overton reached the Elite Eight last season with Texas Tech, scoring 12 points off the bench in the Red Raiders’ Sweet 16 victory over Arkansas. That experience showed in Nashville, where both players answered the call when Auburn needed them most.

Bubble Watch

With the win over Mississippi State, Auburn keeps its SEC Tournament hopes alive, but the Tigers remain on the NCAA Tournament bubble. They’ve already gotten some help from other bubble teams today, but their only real path forward is a win against Tennessee on Thursday. With SMU’s loss, Auburn could leapfrog them as one of the last teams in, but that won’t hold without a victory over the Vols.

Unfortunately, UCF pulled off a comeback win against Cincinnati. A loss there would have helped Auburn’s case. Now, we’re hoping for Northwestern to beat Indiana tonight to improve our chances.

That said, Auburn’s March Madness fate is ultimately in their own hands. Losses by other bubble teams can help, but it’s unlikely to be enough without a win against Tennessee tomorrow.

Here’s Joe Lunardi’s latest bracket—note that it was published before Auburn’s win today.

Up Next

Auburn will face No. 5 seed Tennessee to keep their post-season hopes alive with the winner moving on to face No. 4 seed Vanderbilt.

How to watch: #12 Auburn Tigers vs. #5 Tennessee Volunteers
Date: Thursday, March 12 | Time: 3:00 PM ET
Location: Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, TN)
TV: SEC Network | Live Stream: SEC Network+