After a tough battle between two physical teams, the Auburn Tigers fell to the Tennessee Volunteers in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament. The final score was 70-65 as the Tigers could not complete a comeback in the second half.
The tournament loss comes after Auburn lost its final two games of the regular season. Head coach Bruce Pearl and the team spoke about needing to find a sense of urgency and locking in for the upcoming NCAA tournament, in which the Tigers are still expected to be the No. 1 overall seed.
Auburn basketball had only three scorers in double figures. Johni Broome dropped 23, Miles Kelly added 13, and Denver Jones contributed 10 points. Freshman Tahaad Pettiford struggled offensively and the Tigers' second leading scorer, Chad Baker-Mazara, had a quiet game.
The Tigers will now look forward to the NCAA Tournament. Here's what was said after the loss.
Dylan Cardwell on the team's motivation moving forward, per Auburn Undercover:
"We have to have that sense of urgency to continue the season, prolong the season, so we can spend more time as a family, as a unit. These are my brothers. I want to play until April 7 so I can have more time with my friends and, most importantly, make history.
"This is the greatest team I've ever been on. I don't want these guys to take it for granted. Boxing out, making free throws, layups, if that's what it's going to take to prolong our season. Just buy in and have a heightened sense of urgency."
Pearl on if the team is panicked, per SI.com:
"Man, I'm really glad you asked me that question. We lost to Alabama, Tennessee, and at Texas A&M ... Yeah we're panicked. That's a real softball.
"We lost to some great teams. We lost at the buzzer against Alabama. We had possessions here. Yeah, we’re panicked. I can hardly wait till next weekend to start playing again. Let’s get to Sunday, find out where we’re going, find out who we’re playing and let’s get back to work. I’m looking forward, not back."
Johni Broome on Pettiford's off day, per Auburn Undercover:
"Tahaad is a great player. He's a great teammate. He's a good friend. Just kind of give him words of encouragement. He's been amazing for us all year. He had a rough night tonight. That's OK, though. His brothers have his back. That's on us. He's going to bounce back and get ready for March Madness."