Heartbreaker on Senior Night: MSU Falls in OT to Auburn
It was a case of too little too late for the Bulldogs against the Auburn Tigers on Wednesday night, as they dropped the final home game of the year in overtime 81-68.
Many experts believe Auburn forward Jabari Smith to be a future lottery pick in the NBA draft, and he played the part on Wednesday. Smith led the Tigers in scoring with 27 points on 9-13 shooting.
Tolu Smith led the way for MSU with 22 points on 9-16 from the field, snatching 12 rebounds in the process.
It was a tale of two halves for the Bulldogs in every sense of the phrase. MSU faced a 12-point deficit at the half, heading to the locker rooms down 40-28 and being out-rebounded 20-16.
The Bulldogs did everything in their power to flip that narrative in the second half, though, managing to even take the lead in the closing minutes of the second half. The charge was led by a ferocious rebounding effort, and when the final buzzer sounded, MSU won the battle on the glass 50-32.
These late losses have been a trend for MSU. The Bulldogs have led against Tennessee, Alabama, Colorado State and Kentucky all in the closing minutes, and they’ve lost all of them. The team knows that. They realize it, and it frustrates them. Tolu Smith voiced those frustrations with reporters after the game.
“Honestly, it all falls on us. We’ve got to learn to close out games, especially those like that right there,” said Smith, “Honestly, man, you see that we can compete with the best of them.”
Something of more note, however, is the struggles that MSU has faced from beyond the arc in their last few contest. The Bulldogs are a combined 1-33 in their last three contests, a stat almost unheard of in today’s game. They were 0-13 against the Tigers. If just one of those falls during regulation, it’s a much different ballgame.
The problem was that it wasn’t a different ballgame, though, as MSU still left Humphrey Coliseum with another loss on their record after the final buzzer, pushing said record to 17-13 and 8-9 in the conference.
Head coach Ben Howland was crystal clear after the game. In order for the Bulldogs to make the tournament now, they’ll have to win the SEC Tournament. A road win over their next opponent, Texas A&M, would more than likely give them better seeding in said tournament.
They’ll have a chance to do just that on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. from College Station. That game will be aired on the SEC Network.
