AU HOOPS: Lebo: Tigers expecting different MSU today

Two weeks ago, when Auburn and Mississippi State first squared off against each other, Jeff Lebo waited and waited. Inevitably, he thought, the sharpshooting Bulldogs would start hitting their shots.

But it didn’t happen.

Shot after shot clanged off the iron and Auburn rolled to a runaway, 91-76 victory at Beard-Eaves-Memorial.

Now that the series has shifted to Starkville and the stakes have been raised, Lebo isn’t thinking that what happened two Saturdays ago will have any relevance today.

“They are never out of the game with the way they shoot the basketball,” Lebo said. “You are not going to find four better perimeter shooters in the country.

“When they put them in there all together, it makes for a hard thing to try to figure out how to defend.”

Auburn and Mississippi State will be vying for sole possession of second place in the SEC West when they square off today at Humphrey Coliseum. The game is set to tip off at 5 p.m. and can be seen on Fox Sports South (Channel 33 in Lee County).

“It’s nice being able to play meaningful games at this time of the year,” Lebo said. “They have put themselves in the position with their play to do that. It is fun.”

The Bulldogs, who start four guards and chuck almost as many 3-pointers as Auburn, hit just three of their 16 second-half attempts when the two teams met recently, as the Tigers rolled to the double-digit victory.

But just as he can’t expect the Bulldogs to shoot so poorly, Lebo can’t expect Tay Waller, who scored a career-best 32 points in the last meeting, to be as dominant.

Or can he?

Waller has averaged 21.8 points and is shooting nearly 50 percent (19-of-39) from behind the 3-point arc over the past four games. His shot selection during the streak hasn’t really changed, as the junior-college transfer still takes a number of questionable looks, but his success rate has appeared to stabilize.

As Waller has gone, so has Auburn. The Tigers are 10-3 overall when he makes three or more 3-pointers and 5-2 in SEC play.

“He’s been pretty consistent here,” Lebo said.

The same can be said for the Bulldogs’ four weapons on the perimeter, which have helped them stay atop the rankings for 3-point efficiency — even with all the attempts. The Bulldogs, who have attempted 649 3s this season, rank fourth in the SEC while the Tigers, who have attempted four more, rank 10th.

Though Auburn is not nearly as efficient, the teams’ styles mirror each other, which makes for easier game-planning, Lebo said.

“We see ourselves,” Lebo said. “It is something that we can match up with them a little bit better than maybe most teams who play a little bit bigger. It works for them, too.”

An Auburn win today would secure a non-losing conference season for the first time since 2002-03. It would also significantly better the Tigers’ chances of making postseason play for the first time under Lebo.

“That is exciting for our kids,” Lebo said. “We haven’t been in this position.”

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