Auburn men’s basketball came into Tuesday night’s clash against Mississippi State with a target on its back and missing its best player, Johni Broome. That didn’t end the run of dominance, though, as the Tigers cruised to an 88-66 win over the Bulldogs, improving to 16-1 overall and 4-0 in Southeastern Conference play.

Farther down the poll, Michigan State made a significant jump, rising four spots to No. 12 following a 34-point rout of Washington and a win over Northwestern on the road Sunday. Illinois dropped six spots down to No. 19 after its double-digit loss to unranked USC without star freshman Kasparas Jakucionis.

The No. 18 Mississippi State Bulldogs (14-2, 2-1 SEC) and No. 1 Auburn Tigers (15-1, 3-0) meet Tuesday in an SEC showdown. Tip-off from Neville Arena is set for 7 p.m. ET (SEC Network). Let's analyze