NC State @ Auburn preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 19, 2018 ) Auburn 71, NC State 78

No. 9 Auburn is one of four unbeaten teams left in the country as it enters a matchup with North Carolina State on Thursday. The Tigers remained on a short list with Duquesne, Liberty and San Diego State by picking up a 67-61 victory against Saint Louis on Saturday in Birmingham, Ala.

Senior guard J'Von McCormick scored a career-high 20 points to go along with seven rebounds and six assists to help Auburn survive a 35.5 percent shooting effort from the field and a 13-for-28 showing from the foul line. "We did enough of what we needed to do to win," coach Bruce Pearl told reporters. "Defensively, we were terrific, and J'Von McCormick was the best player on the floor." N.C. State enters with loads of momentum as well, picking up their third straight victory on a half-court heave from Markell Johnson in Sunday's 80-77 win at UNC Greensboro. The Wolfpack's lone loss in the last nine games was to 13th-ranked Memphis by five points at the Barclays Center Classic in New York City.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA STATE (8-2): Johnson, whose dramatic shot gave him a team-high 19 points to go along with seven assists in the win over the Spartans, scored a career-high 27 points in a 78-71 win over Auburn last season. His current scoring average of 13.0 ranks second to fellow senior guard C.J. Bryce (15.9), who also tops the team in rebounding (6.5). Three others average in double figures in scoring while senior forward Pat Andree (7.4) recorded a season-high 15 points in Sunday's win.

ABOUT AUBURN (9-0): Leading scorer Samir Doughty (17.3) struggled to a season-low eight points while shooting 1-for-6 in the win over Saint Louis. Freshman forward Isaac Okoro scored 12 points and ranks second on the team in scoring (13.7) and rebounding (4.9). Senior center Austin Wiley also strugged from the floor against the Billikens with a 2-for-11 showing, but he grabbed eight rebounds and entered Wednesday ranked second among SEC players with 8.9 per contest.

TIP-INS

1. McCormick led the Tigers with 14 points in just 17 minutes in last season's loss to the Wolfpack.

2. N.C. State shoots 74.7 percent from the foul line and Auburn is at 63.3 percent.

3. The Wolfpack have won the last three meetings since the Tigers' last win in the series in 1970.

PREDICTION: Auburn 73, North Carolina State 69