The Auburn Tigers will return to Neville Arena on Wednesday night after suffering their first loss of the season on Sunday versus Houston. The Tigers should bounce back in a big way, facing a Jackson State team that has started the season at 0-3. Auburn is looking to pick up its fourth win of the season.
Auburn is the overwhelming favorite heading into the game. The ESPN Matchup Predictor gives the Tigers a 99% chance at winning the game versus just 1% for Jackson State. For Jackson State, Wednesday night will be the fourth consecutive road game to start the season. They have dropped games to Illinois, Louisville, and Louisiana Tech. They are averaging 58.7 points per game and allowing 95.7 to their opponents. Both Illinois and Louisville scored over 100 points against Jackson State.
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Their top three scorers are all in the backcourt with Daeshun Ruffin (14.7), Jayme Mitchell Jr. (13.3), and Dorian McMillan (9.7). Overall, Jackson State is not a good three-point shooting team at 29.2%, but Mitchell is making 53.8% through three games. Auburn should have a big game rebounding due to Jackson State struggling in that area with just 85 rebounds this season.
Of course, Auburn will need to move on from the tough 73-72 loss to No. 2 Houston. They had a chance to win at the end were unable to make the final shot. Keyshawn Hall scored 20 points versus the Cougars and will look the make it five straight games to hit the 20-point mark. Tahaad Pettiford should be able to take advantage of the opportunity to get his shot going. He played better versus Houston with 15 points and was 3-of-8 from beyond the three-point line. Overall, Auburn should take care of business on Wednesday night.
Auburn will host Jackson State on Wednesday night with a scheduled start time of 8 p.m. CT and will be broadcast by the SEC Network.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: ESPN predicts winner of Auburn’s basketball game versus Jackson State
