GAME NOTES: Hoping to put an end to a four-game losing streak, the Auburn Tigers must hit the road to face the LSU Tigers in an SEC showdown at Maravich Assembly Center on Thursday.

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl made his return to Tennessee on Saturday in the team's latest outing, and it didn't go as Pearl would have hoped. The Tigers were taken down by the Volunteers, 71-63, which dropped Auburn to 2-6 in SEC play this season, with a dismal 0-7 mark away from home.

LSU watched as a three-game win streak came to a close on Saturday, as the Tigers were defeated by Mississippi State, 73-67, on the road. But LSU returns to the comforts of its home in Baton Rouge, where the Tigers are 10-1 this season. LSU is 5-3 against league competition so far.

LSU leads Auburn in the all-time series between these conference rivals, 83-64. LSU holds a 46-23 edge at home. The two sides will meet one more time during this regular season later this month.

Pearl's Auburn team performed well against Tennessee on the road Saturday, and the Tigers saw four of their players score in double figures against the Vols. But the visitors sent Tennessee to the free-throw line for 31 attempts in the game, of which the Vols buried 26. Auburn was only able to make 15 shots from the charity stripe, which is where Tennessee gained its largest advantage. KT Harrell netted 16 points to lead Auburn, adding in six rebounds. Tahj Shamsid-Deen and Antoine Mason each chipped in with 14 points, and Cinmeon Bowers contributed 13 points with eight rebounds for the Tigers in the loss.

Harrell has been sensational on the offensive end of the floor for Auburn this season, providing a go-to scoring outlet when necessary. Harrell leads the Tigers and ranks second in the SEC in scoring this season, netting 17.0 ppg on 46.1 percent shooting from the floor. Mason chips in with 14.1 ppg, and Bowers rounds out a trio of double-digit scorers for the Tigers at 13.5 ppg. The big man Bowers also leads the team and the conference in rebounding, completing the double-double average of 11.0 rpg. The team's scoring defense has been the Achilles' heel so far, as the Tigers allow 67.8 ppg to opponents through 21 games played.

It was a tough game for LSU on both ends of the floor against Mississippi State Saturday. The visiting Tigers connected on only 37.7 percent of their shots from the field, including a 4-of-23 mark from 3-point distance. LSU also sent the Bulldogs to the free-throw line 35 times, where they connected on 23 of their attempts compared to just 11 made free throws for the Tigers. Jordan Mickey turned in a phenomenal performance despite the loss, netting 25 points with 20 rebounds. Keith Hornsby chipped in with 15 points, and Josh Gray contributed 13 points before fouling out of the contest.

Mickey and Jarell Martin have been to go-to players for LSU not just in the post this season, but on the offensive end of the floor in general. Martin turned in a sub-par four-point performance on Saturday, but the big man still ranks second in scoring on the team behind Mickey at 16.0 ppg with 8.9 rpg. Mickey has been the one to watch for LSU, however, netting 16.4 ppg with 10.9 rpg to lead the squad in both categories. Mickey is one-tenth of a rebound per game behind Bowers for the SEC lead, while Martin checks in at third in the conference on the glass. Hornsby (12.7 ppg) and Tim Quarterman (11.9 ppg) round out a group of double-digit scorers for LSU, which is netting 74.5 ppg as a unit - good for second in the SEC in scoring offense.

If LSU can get its typical offensive production against a weak Auburn defense, then the host Tigers should be fine against the visitors. LSU will deploy either Mickey or Martin in man-to-man coverage against Bowers, which should cancel out the Auburn big man's production.