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.

Auburn, the newly minted No. 1 team in the country, will put their top billing to the test when No. 15 Mississippi State comes through Eastern Alabama.

Chad Baker-Mazara scored 20 points, and No. Auburn beat No. Mississippi State 88-66 on Tuesday night in its first game without star center Johni Broome.