Auburn hasn’t gone back home since its loss Wednesday to Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Head coach Bruce Pearl said he and the team stayed in a hotel in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday night and traveled from Tuscaloosa to Starkville on Friday morning.

The No. 8 ranked team in the country was reacting to its first loss since Dec. 3 away from its home pillows. It was the third loss this season for Auburn (16-3, 5-1) and its first in SEC play.

The road has been one of only a small handful of problems this surprising Auburn team has faced this season. Two of its three losses have come on the road in two of its worst shooting performances of the season.

And Auburn will be on the road again Saturday as it faces Mississippi State at 2:30 p.m. inside Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

Auburn’s challenge? Bring its best-in-the-nation balance on the road with them.

After No. 9 Arizona lost to Oregon State on Thursday, Auburn was the only team in the KenPom rankings to be in the top 10 for both offensive and defensive efficiency rankings.

Auburn has been able to travel with its defense. It gave itself a chance at all in losses to Appalachian State in December and Alabama on Wednesday largely because of its defense.

Auburn is shooting 15-70 on 3-pointers in its three true road games.

As it continues on its extended road trip, Pearl is hopeful to see how his team responds. It hasn’t had an experience like this with a second straight road game after a loss, let alone not returning to Auburn at all. Mississippi State is one of the top defensive teams in the country, presenting a difficult matchup for an Auburn offense that has not found its stride on the road.

“As you know, I think we’re a really good team,” Pearl said during a press conference Friday. “I’ve said we’re not as good as people think we are given our ranking. I understand that. Because I think our guys have played pretty well to their ability. The question is: Can you play well when the competition steps up? That’s the challenge. We don’t need to play better than we played in the first five games where we won. But can we play that way against Alabama in Alabama? Against Mississippi State in Mississippi State? Or can we keep playing that way? How will some adversity affect us? How will some losses? To your point, I think the team’s spirits are still high.”

And with the success Auburn has had this season, it will only continue to face tough environments. Humphrey Coliseum is sold out for Saturday’s game. Ole Miss announced a sell-out for its Feb. 3 game against Auburn. Auburn still has to travel to Tennessee, too.

The road will continue to be tough for Auburn. But winning on the road is difficult already.

The top-10 teams in the KenPom rankings 24 hours before Auburn’s game against Mississippi State tips off are Houston, Purdue, Tennessee, Auburn, Arizona, North Carolina, UConn, Alabama, BYU and Illinois.

Those 10 teams have a combined 37 losses. Of those, 21 have been true road games. Only five have been on a team’s home floor.

The ability to bring a team’s best play on the road is difficult. Auburn found part of it against Alabama.

“We thought we could’ve played better,” Pearl said of the loss to Alabama. “I thought big kids – Dylan (Cardwell) and Johni (Broome), in particular – were outstanding as far as their defense. Again, I think walking away going, ‘Alright, we had a chance to win.’ We certainly didn’t quit, and I know close losses on the road against Quad 1 opponents are not going to hurt your analytics, which are important. But we didn’t play very well. We’ve got to try to play better. This will not be any easier at all.”

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at [email protected]