Takeaways: No. 12 Auburn beats Mississippi State 73-66 in the SEC Tournament semifinals

Auburn took care of Mississippi State. What are the biggest takeaways from the game?

The No. 12 Auburn Tigers (No. 4 seed) beat the No. 9 seed Mississippi State Bulldogs (insert) in the Semifinals of the SEC Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

Mississippi State got out in front early and it was a competitive game the whole way, but Auburn was able to get the job done and earn a spot in the SEC Tournament Championship game.

What are the biggest takeaways from the game?

Auburn did not take as good care of the ball

In their win over South Carolina yesterday, Auburn turned the ball over four times which led to only two points for the Gamecocks.

Today was a different story, however, as Auburn turned the ball over 15 times which led to 16 points for Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs did force 11 steals, but Auburn's ball security was not where it will need to be heading into the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers got worked on the boards

Mississippi State out-rebounded Auburn 37-29 overall and 17-8 on the offensive end, but the Tigers had a 21-20 advantage on the defensive end.

The Bulldogs had 12 second-chance points while the Tigers only had five.

Auburn has struggled to rebound against Mississippi State in each of the three meetings between the two teams this season, including the game played at Neville Arena.

Auburn contained Josh Hubbard well

Mississippi State's 5-foot-10 guard has caused problems for teams all season, Auburn did not join that list today.

The Tigers did allow Hubbard to score 20 points, but allowed him to score only three in the first half. Hubbard shot 6-17 from the field and was held to no rebounds and one assist.

Auburn made Mississippi State find other players to put points on the board and that made a difference in this game.

What's Next?

The Tigers will take on the winner of the No. 6 seed Florida Gators and No. 7 seed Texas A&M Aggies tomorrow at 12 p.m. CT. The television broadcast can be found on ESPN and the Auburn Sports Network broadcast can be streamed anywhere on the Auburn Athletics app.