These stats will matter when Auburn takes on Mississippi State

Pay attention to these stats as Auburn takes on Mississippi State.

Auburn is set to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville on Saturday. 

Mississippi State is a better team than their 2-4 SEC record shows, and playing on the road in the SEC, as Auburn learned on Wednesday in the loss to Alabama, is never easy. While the metrics like Auburn to bounce back and win this game, Bruce Pearl's squad will need to play their best basketball against a scrappy Mississippi State team.

One thing to know about this Mississippi State Bulldogs team is they play solid defense. Their defensive efficiency on KenPom currently ranks 19, which is a really solid number. This means the Tigers will need to make sure they are moving the basketball to get some open shots and not trying to play hero ball late in the shot clock. Mississippi State, like Auburn, also gets a lot from their bench. Auburn is second in college basketball in bench points, getting 37.26 points per contest from their reserves. Mississippi State is right on their tail, getting 32.11, which is 12th best in college basketball. Like Auburn, Mississippi State will have their legs under them late in the game, thanks to a plethora of solid bench players. 

Jaylin Williams had this to say about some of his teammates heading into the Alabama game, "Everyone has their confidence," Williams said. "Dylan (Cardwell) is playing his best basketball, Johni (Broome) is going to be Johni regardless. Tre (Donaldson) has been patient, he and Aden (Holloway) don't turn the ball over much." 

Auburn is better than Mississippi State, but playing on the road in the SEC is never easy, so they need to show up ready to play.