NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The top seeded Tigers lost their third game in their last four contests, falling to the No. 4 seed Tennessee 70-65 in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament in Bridgestone Arena.
Included below are stats to know from the Tigers’ most recent loss as they turn their attention to Selection Sunday.
Game Specific:
The showdown between the Tigers and Volunteers featured 18 lead changes and eight ties.
The Volunteers suffered 11 turnovers resulting in 16 points for Auburn compared to the Tigers’ six turnovers which culminated into 11 Volunteer points.
By the 12:39 mark of the first half, the two squads had combined for six made 3-pointers. In their previous matchup, Auburn and Tennessee combined for seven made shots from deep in the entire game.
However, after starting a combined 7-for-12 from deep, the Volunteers and Tigers shot 4-for-28 from beyond the arc the rest of the game.
Despite continuing his longest streak of the season without scoring in double figures, Chaney Johnson has made a 3-pointer in back-to-back contests.
Tennessee made more free throws than Auburn attempoted, knocking down 25 of its 27 attempts from the charity stripe compared to the Tigers’ shooting 13-of-22.
The Volunteers outscored the Tigers in bench points 25 to three. Auburn’s bench has averaged just 13.0 points-per-game in its last four games.
In back to back performances, Auburn has only knocked down six shots from deep, tying the second lowest 3-pointers made in conference play.
Johni Broome:
The national player of the year candidate put together a 12 point first half performance and finished the night with 23 points – his 15th time scoring 20-or-more in a game – seven rebounds in 34 minutes.
The Plant City, FL native struggled at the charity stripe shooting 5-for-12 – missing his first four free throw attempts.
Broome has 80 points in his last three outings against Alabama, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
Auburn center Johni Broome attempts a jumper against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament semifinal in Nashville, TN on March 15, 2025.
Series Specific:
Auburn is now 8-4 in the last 12 contests against Tennessee.
11 of the last 13 games in the series, including the last seven, have been decided by 10 points or less.
Bruce Pearl is 9-8 as a head coach against Tennessee with all 16 games coming during his 11 seasons at Auburn. He is 1-2 versus the Volunteers in the SEC Tournament.
Tournament History:
The Tigers are now 5-10 lifetime in the semifinals, previously winning their last two semifinal appearances until today.
It’s the first time since 2015 that Auburn has won its SEC Tournament opener and didn’t proceeded to win the entire event.
With Auburn's loss in the semifinals, Pearl remains tied with Sonny Smith for the most SEC Tournament wins in program history.
Pearl’s 17 SEC Tournament victories remains tied with Kentucky's Rick Pitino and Hugh Durham of Georgia for the fifth-most tournament wins since the tournament’s renewal in 1979.
Miscellaneous:
Pearl is 11-8 in head-to-head meetings with Volunteers’ head coach Rick Barnes including a 9-7 mark at Auburn versus Barnes at Tennessee.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Patrick is a junior from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2022.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @patrickabingham
