Tennessee vs Auburn - Keys for Volunteers to Make SEC Championship

The keys for Tennessee to defeat Auburn and make the SEC Championship game.

After beating the Texas Longhorns, the Tennessee Volunteers are headed to the semifinals of the SEC tournament to face off against the number one seed Auburn Tigers. The two met in the regular season, where the Tigers came out victorious in a low scoring affair with a final score of 53-51. If the Vols want to avenge their loss and head to the SEC final, here is what they will have to do.

Improve their field goal percentage:

If you enjoy offenses flourishing in basketball, the early season matchup between the two squads was your worst nightmare come true. The Vols shot a poor 31.5% from the field, and were even less impressive behind the arc, shooting a staggering 4/22 (18%) from behind the arc. Known for their vaunted defense, they made it a tough night for the Tigers as they shot 30% from the field, and held the Naismith Player of the Year candidate Johni Broome to 16 points on 35% shooting. However, the Vols offense was so poor down the stretch that their defensive efforts could not overcome them. If the Vols want to be in the final tomorrow, they must improve their shot conversion percentage and take higher percentage looks. Look for the Vols to lean on their leader Chaz Lanier to lead the offensive charge

Force the Tigers to play from outside the arc:

The performance in the paint was ultimately the difference in their early season matchup. The Vols were outrebounded and outscored in the paint by the Tigers. The Vols strength on defense is their perimeter pressure, which is led by their senior guard, back to back SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Zakai Zeigler. While the Tigers have one of the second highest three-point percentage in the SEC, the Vols allow the lowest three-point percentage in the conference. In their last matchup, the Tigers converted three-point shots at even lower clip to the tune of 15%. If the Vols continue to push the pressure on the ball to the perimeter and maintain discipline in their defensive rotations, they will be in this ball game until the final whistle.

Out-physical Broom:

As it goes without saying, senior forward Johni Broom has been one of the best players in the nation this year, in a neck-and-neck race with Duke’s Cooper Flagg to win the Naismith Award. Broom leads the Tigers in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, assists and blocks. When he is on the court, he is making an impact no matter his role. If the Vols want to minimize Broom’s role in the game, they will have to be physical. Do not be surprised if he receives double teams throughout the game to get the ball out of his hands quickly. As mentioned earlier, the Vols were outrebounded by the Tigers, and Broom grabbed an impressive 14 boards. Of those 14 boards, eight of them were offensive, which created at least eight more opportunities for the Tigers to score points. Boxing Broom out will be essential for the Vols to limit Tiger offensive possessions, as well as ultimately winning the game.

Tip off for the game is set at 1 PM eastern time on ESPN.

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