WALDRON GRAIN & FUEL

04/02 03:42 CDT Auburn and Illinois State play in NIT matchup Auburn and Illinois State play in NIT matchup By The Associated Press 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 squares off against Illinois State in the National Invitation Tournament. The Tigers are 8-12 against SEC opponents and 12-4 in non-conference play. Auburn has a 1-2 record in one-possession games. The Redbirds are 12-9 in MVC play. Illinois State ranks sixth in the MVC with 8.3 offensive rebounds per game led by Chase Walker averaging 2.1. Auburn averages 8.1 made 3-pointers per game, 1.7 more made shots than the 6.4 per game Illinois State gives up. Illinois State has shot at a 46.6% clip from the field this season, 0.2 percentage points higher than the 46.4% shooting opponents of Auburn have averaged. 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 scoring 13.7 points per game with 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists for the Redbirds. Johnny Kinziger is averaging 13.1 points and 3.8 assists over the past 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. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.