Lack of bench production plagues Tigers as comeback efforts fall short

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – There were many underlying factors in the top-seeded Tigers 70-65 loss to No. 4 seed Tennessee in the SEC Tournament semifinal game on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena. 

The Volunteers shot 27 free throws and converted on 25 of them for a 92% clip. Auburn committed 21 personal fouls – 13 in the second half – and it couldn’t capitalize on open-shot opportunities down the stretch to tie, or even go-ahead of Tennessee. 

But the lack of bench production for Auburn, as compared to the Volunteers’,  was a prominent factor in why the Tigers’ comeback efforts fell short. 

“We’ve just got to be ourselves. I don’t feel like I was myself today. I don’t feel like other players on the bench were themselves today. Give Tennessee credit. They played great defense. They’re well coached. I feel like we really just couldn’t get in a groove offensively,” said Auburn forward Chaney Johnson. 

Tennessee’s bench stifled the Tigers’ as it put up 25 bench points compared to Auburn's three.  The Tigers’ three points off the bench came on a Johnson triple in the first half. Tahaad Pettiford, Chris Moore and Ja’Heim Hudson combined to go 0-for-9 off the bench, with Pettiford and Johnson finishing -20 and -11 in the +/-, respectively. 

“Our bench has been terrific and we play best when everybody contributes,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. “We almost have seven starters in a sense that Tahaad and Chaney coming off the bench are just like starters. And that's been a great, great strength for us all season long.” 

Miles Kelly and Denver Jones both picked up their third fouls within the first two minutes of the second half, forcing Auburn to rely on its bench with some of its biggest producers sidelined. Meanwhile, Tennessee’s Jordan Gainey ended his night as the Volunteers' second-leading scorer with 15 points off the bench, going a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. 

“Miles Kelly being in deep foul trouble, that was a real factor in the second half because Miles has been one of our best defenders. He was our best shooter,” Pearl said. “He had four fouls, got his... He played probably 10 minutes less than he normally plays.” 

Tennessee entered as the second-best team in the nation, holding opponents to 39% from the field and leading the country in 3-point defense with a 27.6% mark. The Tigers made six treys on 21 attempts, but Pettiford – typically displaying his high-level talent in Auburn’s toughest games – went 0-for-5 from deep and didn’t convert on a shot from the field, making it his first game without a point since going scoreless against Vermont to open the season. 

“I'll roll with Tahaad all day every day. He's played great. One of the most impactful freshmen in all of college basketball. Tennessee is a tough cover. It's hard to cover those guards. You get banged on those screens, you're chasing those guards off that floppy stuff, that's a lot. We never quite got into a rhythm for him,” Pearl said. 

For Auburn, it’s about moving on to the Big Dance. The Tigers will await their NCAA tournament seeding with Selection Sunday set to air on ESPN tomorrow at 5 p.m. CTS. 

"I think we did enough in the regular season to deserve the No. 1 seed," said Auburn guard Miles Kelly. "We put forth a great resume this season, and I think order to get the No. 1 seed you have to be special. And we were special this year.”