Don’t look now, but the Auburn basketball team has won two of its last three Southeastern Conference games.

That’s not all. The win streak has propelled the Tigers (14-11, 4-8 SEC) to third place in the SEC’s Western Division.

Perhaps best of all for AU fans, last Sunday’s 88-76 win against

Alabama was Auburn’s third in four tries against the Crimson Tide over the past two seasons.

But there’s bad news, too, courtesy of the SEC schedule. Auburn must put its recent run of success on the line tonight in Starkville, Miss., against Mississippi State.

It’s not just that the Bulldogs (18-8, 9-3) have a two-game lead atop the SEC West standings.

Mississippi State also just might be the league’s toughest matchup for Auburn.

It all starts inside, where big men Jarvis Varnado and Charles Rhodes are the league’s best pair of big men.

The 6-foot-8 Varnado leads the nation with 4.8 blocked shots per game. Rhodes is one of four players in the SEC’s top 10 in both scoring and rebounding; he had 17 points and 10 rebounds in the teams’ previous meeting, an 83-64 MSU win.

Auburn will counter with its new-look lineup, which debuted against Alabama on Sunday.

Head coach Jeff Lebo’s lineup shuffle moved point guard DeWayne Reed to the bench. Sophomore forward Lucas Hargrove moved into the lineup at power forward, while junior Quantez Robertson shifted from shooting guard to the point.

Hargrove, who scored 28 points against Alabama, gives the Tigers’ lineup an extra scoring punch. A repeat of that performance could be AU’s best hope against Mississippi State.

“Lucas was terrific shooting the basketball for us (Sunday), and we hope it will continue,” Lebo said.

Auburn’s lineup will stay short-handed indefinitely: Forward Vot Barber is still not practicing at full speed. The junior, who broke his hand against Towson on Dec. 29, hasn’t played since.

If Barber sits out the rest of the season, he is expected to apply for a medical redshirt.

That could be a long shot: According to NCAA rules, Barber wouldn’t be eligible for such a redshirt if he played in more than nine games this season. He broke his hand six minutes into AU’s 10th game.

Today’s game will not be televised.

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Auburn at Mississippi State
Where: Humphrey Coliseum, Starkville, Miss.
When: 7 p.m.
TV/Radio: 97.7 FM (No TV)
Records: Auburn 14-11 (4-8 SEC), Mississippi State 18-8 (9-3 SEC)
Scouting Report: Fresh off a big win against archrival Alabama, Auburn faces its toughest SEC matchup, against Western Division leader Mississippi State. The Bulldogs lead the SEC in scoring defense and won the teams’ previous meeting, 83-64, in Auburn.
Projected Starters, Mississippi State: PG Jamont Gordon, 6-4 Jr. (17.5 points, 4.7 assists per game); G Ben Hansbrough, 6-3 So. (10.0 points, 3.8 rebounds); G Barry Stewart, 6-2 So. (12.1 points, 4.4 rebounds); F Charles Rhodes, 6-8 Sr. (15.6 points, 7.3 rebounds); C Jarvis Varnado, 6-9 So. (7.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.8 blocks)
Projected Starters, Auburn: PG Quantez Robertson, 6-3 Jr. (7.7 points, 5.2 rebounds); G Rasheem Barrett, 6-5 Jr. (13.6 points, 4.3 rebounds); G Frank Tolbert, 6-4 Sr. (13.1 points, 5.3 rebounds); F Lucas Hargrove, 6-6 So. (7.6 points, 4.0 rebounds); F Quan Prowell0, 6-8 Sr. (15.1 points, 6.1 rebounds)