How Auburn Can Reclaim Identity After Road Loss to Tennessee

The Auburn Tigers’ four-game winning streak came to a disappointing end this weekend, falling to the Tennessee Volunteers, 77-69, at Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday night.

The contest marked Auburn’s fourth-consecutive loss in Knoxville, with their last win over Tennessee on the road coming in 2020, and the Tigers didn’t necessarily stick to their brand of basketball against the Vols.

Tennessee struck rather quickly, building a 10-point lead before the 15-minute mark in the first half due to a multitude of offensive rebounds and second-chance points. The opening stanza sort of defined how the rest of the game unfolded, as the Vols finished the game with a +16 (46-30) advantage on the glass.

The Vols are one of the best rebounding teams in the nation, as they entered Saturday’s game ranking No. 6 nationally in rebounding (43.0 per game), No. 3 nationally in offensive rebounding (15.7 per game), and No. 4 nationally in rebounding margin (12.7). They are listed at No. 2 in the SEC in those same categories, sitting just behind the Florida Gators, who Auburn beat last Saturday.

However, despite Florida statistically performing better than Tennessee on the glass this season, the Tigers managed to hold their own last weekend in Gainesville. Auburn played extremely physically for 40 minutes, and the Gators only out-rebounded the Tigers by seven.

That was not the case against Tennessee, as Auburn allowed 17 total offensive rebounds, 10 of which came in the opening half. Filip Jovic was Auburn’s most active contributor on the glass, notching five offensive rebounds in his seven total, but it wasn't enough to bridge the wide gap.

Additionally, and more evidently, Auburn completely abandoned its identity on the offensive end of the floor for most of the night.

The Tigers went just 38.1% from the field and 22.6% from downtown, including shooting a whopping 7-of-31 from three-point land. Thus, 31 of Auburn’s 63 shot attempts came from behind the arc, notching just under half at 49.3%.

Jacking three-balls is not a recipe for success this season for the Tigers, as displayed by their four-game winning streak prior to their trip to Knoxville. Across Auburn’s contests against Ole Miss, South Carolina, Florida, and Texas, all from which they emerged victorious, the Tigers averaged 18 attempted threes. They beat Ole Miss and South Carolina while only draining two in each game, and it seemed like Auburn had figured out who it really is.

For Auburn to win basketball games, it needs to be physical down low against opposing bigs, attack the glass, and play with relentless effort on the defensive end. Another key aspect to the Tigers’ success is their ability to get to the foul line, as Auburn led the country in free throws attempted (28.8) and free throws made (21.3) per game entering Saturday.

Auburn only got to the line 20 times against the Vols, and converted on 14 of them (70%). Heading into its clash with Tennessee, Keyshawn Hall ranked first nationally in free throws (155), which is currently the seventh most in a single season at Auburn, but Hall went just 4-of-5 from the charity stripe against the Vols.

There were a few instances in Saturday’s game where Auburn cut the lead to four or five, and the Tigers would settle for a three in transition instead of driving downhill and potentially drawing a foul. Which, as discussed, is not Auburn’s strength, as Tahaad Pettiford finished 2-of-11, Hall went 3-of-9, Kevin Overton ended 1-of-7, and Elyjah Freeman went 1-of-4 from behind the arc.

For the sake of comparison, Alabama attempted 34 threes in its loss to Florida on Sunday, just three more than Auburn shot against Tennessee. And anyone who watched Alabama basketball knows their identity: to live and die by the three.

Overall, the Tigers need to get back to who they are and not stray away from physicality and pressure down low. Auburn has proved it can compete with elite opposing bigs, even if the Tigers are undersized, and that’s when it seems they are most successful.

Auburn has a week off before facing the Crimson Tide in Neville Arena next weekend, and the Tigers now have a blueprint of what works, what doesn’t work, and how to beat Alabama. If they attack the glass, exhibit physicality in the paint, play with relentless effort on defense, and get downhill on the offensive end, that’s when Auburn is at its best.