Mississippi @ Auburn preview

Mississippi at Auburn

Last Meeting ( Feb 11, 2017 ) Auburn 84, Mississippi 90

Auburn is off to its best start in 18 years, but it has been nearly six years since the Tigers have beaten Ole Miss. They’ll try to run their winning streak to 13 games Tuesday and beat the visiting Rebels for the first time since 2012.

The Rebels have won 10 straight and 13 of the last 15 matchups against the No. 24 Tigers, who are in the Top 25 for the first time since 2003. Auburn has opened SEC play with a pair of wins over ranked opponents, winning at Tennessee 94-84 and beating Arkansas 88-77 at home, and the Tigers have had four different leading scorers in their past four games. “We share the ball,” leading scorer Mustapha Heron told reporters. “We give each other good looks and we knock shots down. That’s pretty much it. We’re just playing as a unit right now, and we look to keep that up the whole season - playing together, playing hard and playing for each other.” The Rebels hope to play spoiler to a second consecutive team riding a hot start after handing rival Mississippi State its second loss of the season 64-58 on Saturday.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPNU

ABOUT OLE MISS (9-6, 2-1 SEC): The Rebels have used nine different starting lineups featuring 10 different players, which is a testament to their depth. The backcourt is especially deep, and their guards have combined for 72.1 percent of the team’s scoring with veterans Deandre Burnett (14.4 points, 4.7 assists) and Terence Davis (13.5 points, 5.7 rebounds) leading the charge. Freshman guard Devontae Shuler leads the SEC with 2.7 steals per game in SEC play.

ABOUT AUBURN (14-1, 2-0): The Tigers also lean on their backcourt at the offensive end as each of their top three scorers are guards. Heron (15.9 points, 5.6 rebounds), and Jared Harper (12.7 points, 5.5 assists) get the foul line with regularity, and Bryce Brown (15.7 points) averages 3.1 3-pointers per game. Despite an undersized starting frontcourt, the Tigers have outrebounded 13 of their 15 opponents as Desean Murray (10.9 points, 7.3 rebounds) and Anfernee McLemore (8.1 points, 6.1 rebounds) have been tough on the boards.

TIP-INS

1. Auburn is trying to start 3-0 in SEC play for the first time since 2002-03, and the Tigers haven’t won three straight conference games since a five-game run in 2009.

2. The Rebels average 30.1 points per game from the bench, and the reserves have scored at least 40 points five times.

3. McLemore leads the SEC and ranks eighth nationally with 3.2 blocks per game.

PREDICTION: Auburn 79, Ole Miss 75