Auburn didn’t do itself a favor when they lost to Mississippi State on Saturday, and now the Tigers will have to play one extra game in the SEC Tournament. Thirteenth seeded Auburn (11-19, 5-13) will play Tennessee (13-18, 6-12) in the opening round of the SEC Network with a chance to face Vanderbilt in the second round on the the line.
Auburn split the season series with Tennessee after both teams won on their home courts. Auburn defeated Tennessee on national TV to tip-off their conference season. Auburn then lost to Tennessee in Knoxville in their second game since Kareem Canty was kicked off the team. While Tennessee destroyed Auburn in the second matchup, the Volunteers have finished on a bad note with four straight losses and only one win in their final seven games since their win over Auburn.
During their four-game losing streak, the closest game for Tennessee was a 75-65 loss at home to Arkansas, a team that Auburn beat just a few weeks ago. It’s hard to say anything good about either of these teams since both have proven themselves to be the clear bottom two teams in the conference over the past few weeks, not counting Missouri who has been in a league of their own. Both Auburn and Tennessee have players that are capable of playing really well, but neither team has been able to find consistency.
I don’t really know who will win this game on Wednesday, but I have a feeling it won’t be close either way. Each team has players that could blow the game wide open if they are to play well, but it’s just a matter of which team shows up. Rick Barnes and Bruce Pearl are both coaches that have been around for quite awhile and know how to put together a winning game plan. Neither of these coaches have the weapons they want quite yet, but I have a feeling one guy will have his players ready to play, and one of these teams will move on to the next round to face Vanderbilt in dominant fashion.
For Auburn, it’ll need a big game from their three key seniors in Cinmeon Bowers, Tyler Harris, and Jordon Granger. Bowers and Harris have been playing well in the last few games of the season, but Jordon has almost been completely absent in both losses to Texas A&M and Mississippi State. Since his 18 point, 11 rebound double-double in the win over Georgia, Jordon has contributed 11 total points and 6 total rebounds in Auburn’s last three losses. Against Mississippi State, Granger had just one rebound and no points after missing all three of his three-point attempts and both of his free throws. Granger has had a good year in many different forms for the Tigers, but he’ll need to step up in what could be his final game in an Auburn uniform.
Armani Moore has had just 3 total points in both games against Auburn, and Horace Spencer and Cinmeon Bowers will need to keep him as a non-factor if Auburn is going to move on in the SEC Tournament.
Offensively, Spencer needs to continue to play well and another career-high in points could be a huge boost for the Tigers. Bowers doesn’t need to score tons of points as long as Auburn’s other scorers are doing their thing, but the senior certainly needs to make the most of the looks he does get. Bowers can’t afford to miss layups or take ill-advised shots if the Tigers are going to win this game.
Luckily for Auburn, and unfortunately for the Volunteers, Tennessee’s star guard, Kevin Punter is out for the season after a season-ending surgery. Punter put up 31 points against Auburn in the first matchup and has been one of the best scorers in the SEC all season long. With Punter not on the floor, Tennessee will be playing without a big scoring threat.
With Auburn’s slowly improving defense and the return of T.J. Dunans, the Tigers might just be able to contain the remaining weapons that Tennessee still has. Dunans will have to lock down whoever runs the point this time around, and if he can do that Auburn has a great chance of winning.
In the most recent matchup, Tennessee got double-digit scoring from three different players and dished out 15 assists as a team. On the other hand, Auburn went completely cold and Bryce Brown was the only Tiger in double figures with 18 points. I assume that other players will contribute in this game, but if they don’t this could be another blowout and an ugly departure from the SEC Tournament for the Tigers.
I said that this game will be a big win for either team and I don’t really think it will be close. Both of these teams have showed that they are capable of knocking off the best, but both teams have also struggled in a majority of their games. Auburn and Tennessee are rightfully the lowest two seeds in the SEC Tournament, but each has the ability to be a good team if their key players can play well.
I have faith in Bruce Pearl to snap his two-game losing streak in Bridgestone Arena, and I think Dunans will finally make a noticeable impact on the stat sheet as Auburn gets another SEC Tournament win, this time defeating Tennessee, 80-65.