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A spirit that is not afraid

Coulibaly and Auburn eye upset against No. 4 Tennessee

<p>Auburn Tigers guard Aicha Coulibaly (5) shoots as Georgia Lady Bulldogs forward Javyn Nicholson (35) defends during during the game between Auburn and Georgia at Auburn Arena on Jan 3, 2021, in Auburn, Ala.</p>

Auburn Tigers guard Aicha Coulibaly (5) shoots as Georgia Lady Bulldogs forward Javyn Nicholson (35) defends during during the game between Auburn and Georgia at Auburn Arena on Jan 3, 2021, in Auburn, Ala.

Still in search of its first SEC win of the season, Auburn welcomes No. 4 Tennessee into Auburn Arena hoping to achieve a massive upset. 

Tennessee, riding a nine-game winning streak, is 18-1 and undefeated in the SEC. In comparison, Auburn is 8-10 and has lost seven straight games. 

The Lady Volunteers lone loss this season was to Stanford – the No. 2 team in the nation. Tennessee most recently defeated No. 15 Georgia 63-55.  

Tennessee finds most of its success on the defensive side of the ball. The Lady Vols are No. 17 in the country in opponent points per game. They also rank in the top half of the conference in rebounds and blocks per game. 

Starting center Tamari Key is a force in the paint defensively, denying nearly four blocks each contest. 

Points have been hard to come by for the Tigers this season. Averaging just 64 points each game, Auburn will have to improve its offense tremendously if it wants to take down one of the best teams in the sport.

Aicha Coulibaly has been Auburn's best source of offense. Averaging nearly 18 points per game, she has been one of the conference's top players. 

But outside of her, the scoring from Auburn has been inconsistent. The team is shooting just 27.5% from three and under 40% from the field.

Auburn will also try to improve its rebounding ability. 

Kentucky collected 16 offensive rebounds in Tuesday’s matchup against the Tigers, while Tennessee is the top team in the SEC in offensive rebounds. 

If Auburn does not improve its rebounding quickly, Tennessee will have many opportunities to score second chance points. 

“Rebounding is about toughness,” said head coach Johnnie Harris. “It’s about boxing out. We'll have to get real tough real soon.” 

Tennessee's most dangerous player is guard Jordan Houston. Though she has not shot the ball well this season, she still leads the team in points, rebounds, assists and steals per game. Houston has also played the second most minutes of anyone on the team. 

Against Kentucky, Auburn was similarly faced with the challenge of defending a star guard. Rhyne Howard, a top WNBA draft prospect, scored 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds. She also hit five 3-pointers in the Wildcats’ win. 

Expect Auburn to throw a double team at Houston to attempt to slow her down. 

Outside of Houston and Key, no other Lady Volunteer scores more than 10 points per game, so the Tigers may live with giving other players open shots if it means they can slow down Houston. 

Offensively, Tennessee has not been great this season. Ranking in the bottom half of the conference in points per game, field goal percentage and free throw percentage, Tennessee has not shown the dominant offense they have obtained in the past. 

Auburn’s defense has been solid this season, ranking in the top 150 in the country in points allowed. Harris and her squad will need another stout, aggressive performance against Tennessee to finally get over the hump and find that conference win. 

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The matchup between the Tigers and Lady Volunteers is set to tip-off Thursday night at 7 p.m. CST and will be broadcast on SEC Network-plus. 


Jacob Waters | Sports Reporter

Jacob is a sophomore from Leeds, Alabama. This is his second year with The Auburn Plainsman. 

Twitter: @JacobWaters_


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