Ole Miss basketball vs. Auburn: Scouting report, score prediction

OXFORD — Few teams in college basketball need a win like Ole Miss needs a win.

The Rebels (8-7, 0-3 SEC), after starting the season 6-0, have lost seven of their last nine and four in a row as they search for their first SEC victory.

They'll get a valuable opportunity at home against Auburn (12-3, 2-1) on Tuesday (8 p.m., ESPNU).

Here's what to know ahead of the game.

Rebels set to take on yet another elite defensive team

Ole Miss' offense is struggling, and it isn't getting much help from the schedule.

Auburn will be the fourth consecutive opponent on the Rebels' slate that ranks inside KenPom's top-15 in defensive efficiency. The Tigers are third nationally in 3-point defense, with their opposition converting on just 26.1% of attempts from outside.

Auburn also holds its opponents to a 44.7% success rate on 2-point field goals and ranks third in the country with a staggering 16.7% block rate. Auburn big man Johni Broome averages 2.8 blocks per game, and his backup, Dylan Cardwell, comes in at 1.9.

The Rebels need nothing more than some easy buckets in the paint just to get their offense going. Those are going to be hard to come by on Tuesday.

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Broome leads the way for the Tigers

An offseason transfer from Morehead State in the Ohio Valley Conference, Broome has quickly become one of the best two-way players in the SEC.

He's a force defensively, ranking in the top 10 nationally with those 2.8 blocks per game, but he's also Auburn's leading scorer.

Broome is averaging 12.9 points per game through 14 contests so far this season, and he hasn't been hampered by the onset of SEC play, either, posting over 15 points per game since conference play began.

His 8.8 rebounds per contest also lead the Tigers, making him a key focal point of the Rebels' game plan.

This isn't the same Auburn offense

Bruce Pearl turned Auburn into one of the most entertaining teams in college basketball last season, as the Tigers pushed the ball up the court at every opportunity and scored with lethal efficiency.

This Auburn team isn't like that – at all.

The Tigers are in the bottom half nationally in pace of play. Their offense is still good, but it's no longer outstanding. A big chunk of their production comes from being an elite offensive-rebounding team, grabbing nearly 37% of their missed field goals.

Auburn's 3-point percentage is one of the 40 worst in the country at 29.2%. It turns the ball over at a troubling rate, too. Outside of Broome, Wendell Greene Jr. is the only Tiger in double figures, averaging 12.7 points per game.

Score prediction

Auburn 61, Ole Miss 56. Ole Miss needs this game to be another grind, and, fortunately for the Rebels, Auburn has seemed more than happy to comply with that edict this season. Still, it's just hard to predict a victory for Ole Miss against a quality opponent the way things are going at the moment, with Kermit Davis questioning his team's toughness and the scoring troubles persisting. Like Mississippi State, the Rebels should have their chance in this one. Will they finally take it?

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss basketball vs. Auburn: Scouting report, score prediction