The offensive struggles that have plagued Auburn throughout this season came to an ugly head on Tuesday night in Knoxville.
The Tigers put up their worst offensive performance of the season against Tennessee, falling to the Volunteers, 71-45, for their sixth consecutive loss.
Auburn (9-14, 3-8 SEC) recorded season lows in points, made field goals (14) and shooting percentage (23.7 percent) in the blowout, which was the second-largest loss this season. Late in the second half, the Tigers faced their largest deficit of the season at 33 points.
“We were not at all competitive tonight,” said Auburn coach Bruce Pearl. “We got some good looks inside, and we could not just finish anything. Our game plan was to go inside. Sometimes, you have to be mentally tough and not just physically tough. We lacked mental toughness. ... It’s not physical. It’s mental. Right now, their confidence is really challenged. It’s clearly a difficult situation.”
Auburn undercut its lowest shooting percentage of the season for the third consecutive game and struggled from the free-throw line, making only 12 of its 24 foul shots.
The Tigers also suffered the loss of Tyler Harris to back spasms in the second half, and the senior forward's status going forward is unclear.
Freshman Bryce Brown bounced back from a tough shooting night last Saturday at Georgia to lead the Tigers with 18 points, including four of Auburn's five 3-pointers.
“Bryce shot the ball well,” Pearl said. “Bryce Brown clearly belonged out there on the floor, acted like he belonged on the floor.”
Cinmeon Bowers added 9 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, the most for the senior since he had 18 against Alabama on Jan. 19.
The offensive struggles continued in the absence of leading scorer Kareem Canty, who was suspended for a second consecutive game for conduct detrimental to the team.
Tennessee (12-12, 5-6 SEC) avenged its 83-77 defeat at Auburn Arena on Jan. 2, and Pearl fell at Thompson-Boling Arena, his former home as Tennessee's coach, for the second consecutive year.
Auburn returns home on Saturday to face Vanderbilt at 5 p.m.
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