NCAAB Game Preview - Auburn at Mississippi State
Sat Jan 4, 2020 4:30 PM EST

Pepp
70
Gonz
75
F
Duke
95
Mia-FL
62
F
WVU
53
Kansas
60
F
Oreg
69
Utah
64
F
Tex
44
Baylor
59
F
FSU
78
Lou
65
F
Aub
80
MissSt
68
F
UGA
65
Mem
62
F
Vill
60
Marq
71
F
Crei
57
Butl
71
F
SDSU
77
UtSt
68
F
Ind
59
MD
75
F
Mizzu
59
KY
71
F
VaTec
39
UVA
65
F
Iowa
86
PSU
89
F
OkSt
50
TxTch
85
F
Miss
54
WichSt
74
F
AzSt
47
Ariz
75
F
LSU
78
Tenn
64
F
Wake
69
Pitt
65
F
Akr
69
E MI
45
F
NCSU
70
Clem
81
F
Wyo
61
ColSt
72
F
KSU
61
Okla
66
F
FaDi
77
Bry
73
F
Samf
78
VMI
75
F
UMassL
86
UMBC
73
F(OT)
WCU
86
Citad
82
F
Seatt
86
ChiSt
54
F
UConn
60
SoFL
75
F
Morg
81
DelSt
68
F
Prov
66
DeP
65
F
LIU
73
MtStM
82
F(2OT)
N TX
67
Marsh
64
F
UCIrv
73
Harv
77
F
UNH
52
Hartfo
61
F
GASt
72
CoCar
74
F
Mia-O
82
CenMI
93
F
Winth
87
Campbl
72
F
NIU
73
Buff
72
F
TxSt
70
ArkSt
67
F
USA
49
ULM
69
F
AbCh
74
Lamar
62
F
TexAr
89
ArkLR
92
F
USC-Up
73
Longw
56
F
Presb
68
GWebb
62
F
YSU
74
Clev
82
F
TNTec
72
MorSt
83
F
StFPA
93
CenCT
69
F
ETSU
56
Furm
65
F
Cin
71
Tul
76
F
ND
88
Syr
87
F
GaSo
72
App
74
F
MTSt
53
S UT
59
F
McNee
69
CenAR
79
F
IlSt
55
SIU
67
F
RobM
69
(N/A)
58
F
Albany
74
Bingha
62
F
Lib
65
NJIT
38
F
W&M
66
NE
64
F
MTSU
62
UNCC
68
F
Elon
75
Hof
102
F
UTEP
56
FAU
59
F
JSU
80
E KY
71
F
JMU
69
Charl
85
F
How
66
MD-ES
78
F
FlaAM
45
NCC
61
F
NFla
81
N AL
65
F
SeLA
84
TXAMC
80
F
Stetsn
57
KennSt
54
F
HiPt
62
Radf
73
F
Chat
70
Mercer
61
F
Ohio
65
W MI
77
F
SCSt
79
Copp
75
F
TN-M
63
APSU
82
F
USD
63
SCla
80
F
Rice
61
W Ky
68
F
USM
50
LaTec
78
F
PorSt
69
E WA
71
F
W IL
56
SDSt
91
F
E IL
55
Belm
87
F
ArkPB
80
MsVl
76
F
(N/A)
75
CSNor
109
F
IaSt
79
TCU
81
F(OT)
GaTec
96
UNC
83
F
Bois
66
Nev
83
F
Web
64
NoAZ
72
F
IndSt
76
Drake
80
F
Bama
98
Fla
104
F(2OT)
SIU-E
74
TNSt
79
F
ASU
67
JackSt
70
F
ChaSo
85
Hamp
92
F
Alc
70
PVAM
84
F
BethC
72
Norf
85
F
Nich
70
SHSU
58
F
AlaAM
60
Gram
70
F
Lipsco
61
FlGlf
68
F
UNCG
92
Woff
98
F(2OT)
UCLA
71
WaSt
79
F(OT)
SJSU
64
Fres
79
F
Valpa
81
Evans
79
F(OT)
TAMU
59
Ark
69
F
SacHr
81
Merrim
74
F
Princ
78
Penn
64
F
UAB
52
ODU
58
F
Tows
67
UNCW
60
F
UTSA
83
FIU
90
F(OT)
SFA
87
NOrl
68
F
CSLA
60
LongB
76
F
SDCh
51
UCRiv
89
F
ORU
67
NebOm
74
F
Troy
62
UL
79
F
Brad
64
NrthIA
69
F
UtVal
63
UMKC
68
F
MOSt
58
LoyIL
62
F
SEMO
59
Murr
81
F
Mont
66
N CO
74
F
LoyMa
38
BYU
63
F
SMU
92
Vand
81
F(OT)
South
68
TXSo
77
F
GrCan
62
CSBak
69
F
NMSt
86
CBU
71
F
USF
65
Portl
76
F
StMar
99
Pacif
107
F(4OT)
AF
59
UNLV
71
F
IdaSt
49
Sac
68
F
No. 8 Auburn opens SEC slate at Mississippi St.
Sat Jan 4, 2020 11:27 AM

Senior forward Danjel Purifoy's return to form could not have come at a better time for No. 8 Auburn as it prepares to delve into Southeastern Conference play Saturday at Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss.

After scoring in double figures five times in the first seven games of the season, Purifoy went into a shooting slumping over the next four, going only 6-for-24 from the field overall and failing to reach double digits in averaging 5.0 points per outing over that stretch.

But he found the range his last outing, scoring 13 points on 4-for-5 shooting (3 of 4 on 3-pointers) as the Tigers (12-0) rolled to an 86-59 win over Lipscomb last Sunday.

Coach Bruce Pearl couldn't have been happier with Purifoy's play.

"Six offensive rebounds, mixing it up on the inside, was engaged defensively," Pearl said. "I think he's ready for the second half of the season."

Purifoy started 25 of 29 appearances as a freshman and averaged 11.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He didn't play in 2017-18 when he was suspended after his name popped up in the FBI investigation into college basketball. He had a single start in 28 appearances in 2018-19, but has started all 12 games for the Tigers this season.

"We've talked about the fact that we need him to be good," Pearl said after the rout of Lipscomb. "We won't win as many SEC games as we should unless he does what he did tonight. But I'm not asking him to do anything he's not capable of doing. He knows that. He absolutely knows it. He had a good rhythm to his game. I don't want him to be satisfied."

Purifoy expressed satisfaction in his play against Lipscomb.

"I felt like I came out and played a great game," he said. "My whole process on my mind was just being aggressive throughout the whole game."

Off to their best start since the 1998-99 team opened 17-0, the Tigers look to get a stern test from the Bulldogs (9-3), who have won three of their last four after a bounce-back 96-68 win over Kent State in Starkville on Monday followed their 58-52 loss to New Mexico State in Jackson, Miss., three days before Christmas.

"They're a great offensive rebounding team," Kent State coach Rob Senderoff said of the Bulldogs. "They've got great length and great size."

Mississippi State's 6-10 forward Reggie Perry is a handful. The sophomore is two rebounds short of averaging a double-double with his 15.4 points matching guard Tyson Carter for team scoring honors and his 9.8 rebound average leading the SEC.

He had 26 points and 17 rebounds against Kent State.

"It was a really important win because this would have been a really bad loss for us," Perry said. "It gives us a lot of confidence going into Auburn knowing that we have just won one and knowing what we have to do to win games. It was a really big win for us."

--Field Level Media

Team Record Comparison

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