Auburn and Illinois State square off in NIT matchup

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Illinois State Redbirds (23-12, 12-9 MVC) vs. Auburn Tigers (20-16, 8-12 SEC)

Indianapolis; Thursday, 9:30 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Auburn and Illinois State meet in the National Invitation Tournament.

The Tigers have gone 8-12 against SEC opponents, with a 12-4 record in non-conference play. Auburn is 1-2 in one-possession games.

The Redbirds' record in MVC play is 12-9. Illinois State ranks sixth in the MVC with 8.3 offensive rebounds per game led by Chase Walker averaging 2.1.

Auburn averages 82.6 points, 14.7 more per game than the 67.9 Illinois State allows. Illinois State averages 8.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.1 fewer makes per game than Auburn gives up.

TOP PERFORMERS: Tahaad Pettiford is averaging 15.3 points and 3.7 assists for the Tigers. Kevin Overton is averaging 17.3 points over the last 10 games.

Walker is averaging 13.7 points and 5.4 rebounds for the Redbirds. Johnny Kinziger is averaging 13.1 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Tigers: 6-4, averaging 79.0 points, 31.4 rebounds, 12.4 assists, 6.8 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 45.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 77.4 points per game.

Redbirds: 7-3, averaging 70.2 points, 30.4 rebounds, 12.9 assists, 5.0 steals and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 45.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 68.7 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.