Auburn looked out of sync and out of sorts offensively all night against the Tennessee Volunteers.
The Vols make teams play their style of basketball, and they make them play at their slow grind it out pace. Auburn fed right into this all night, which made it a physical dogfight for 40 minutes.
With some key stops and a Miles Kelly three pointer, Auburn found a way to win.
The Tigers shot a season-low 31% from the field and 15% from three. This struggle shooting has been unfamiliar to Auburn this season as the Tigers have one of the best offenses in the country. Tennessee forced Auburn into tough, contested looks from the outside and at the rim all night.
Coming off his injury Johni Broome looked a bit rusty at times but led the Tigers with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Chaney Johnson chipped in for 10 points himself, and Miles Kelly hit two huge 3-pointers to lead the offense.
Auburns guards struggled shooting the ball and looked out of rhythm all night, missing open looks and turning the ball over. But again, this is what Tennessee does to teams — the Vols almost completely neutralize their opponents' 3-point shooting. Coming into this game, they held their opponents to just 25.9% from beyond the arc. Tennessee's on-ball pressure and ability to play aggressive defense had Auburn taking bad shots and missing shots they usually make.
Despite struggling offensively, Auburn's defense stepped up in a big way to secure the win. Auburn's guards defended well all the way around, especially on Tennessee's two best players — Zakai Ziegler and Chaz Lanier. While the Vols' offense has its limitations, holding an opponent to 31.5% shooting from the field and 18.2% from beyond the arc highlights a strong defensive effort. The Tigers contributed to this with eight steals and nine blocks. This performance underscores Auburn's ability to adapt and execute in close game.
The turnovers and poor shooting can happen from time-to-time, but showing the ability to overcome them and still win is huge for a team who has sky high expectations.
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Jack is a sophomore majoring in sports production. He started with The Plainsman in the fall 2024.
