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Tennessee used a massive second half to overcome a halftime deficit and defeat No. 3 Auburn, 67-62, at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Here’s three quick takeaways on Tennessee’s second top five win of the season.
Auburn First Half Kill Shot Takes Energy Out Of Arena
Tennessee has played fantastic in big home games this season and Josiah-Jordan James has credited the energy at Thompson-Boling Arena for the success. The sell-out crowd was revved up again for the top 20 showdown and was rocking early in the game.
Then Auburn used a “kill shot” that took the life out of the arena and energized the continent of Auburn fans that made the trip north to Knoxville.
A “kill shot” is a term created by college basketball analytical reporter Evan Miyakawa that signals a run of 10-0 or greater in a game. A team that goes on one of these runs wins 82% of the time.
With Tennessee holding a modest 19-13 lead with just under eight minutes left in the first half, Auburn turned it on. Assisted by two of Tennessee’s nine first half turnovers, Auburn sparked its 13-0 run with easy baskets.
The Tigers erased a six-point deficit and turned it into a seven-point lead in under three minutes, completely taking the life out of Thompson-Boling Arena.
Auburn made everything difficult on Tennessee’s offense and long stretches without offensive success sparked the Tigers’ strong close to the first half. Scoring just 15 first half points, Tennessee shot 28% from the field and 22% from three-point.
Tennessee evened out the stat with a “kill shot” run of its own in the second half, but the dominant stretch changed the complexion of the game for some time.
The Vols just responded and used a massive second half instead of first half to pull off the win.
Vols’ Front Court Holds Its Own
Auburn boasts one of the nation’s best front courts with talented power forward Jabari Smith and lockdown center Walker Kessler. If you’re ready this you probably know that Tennessee’s front court play has been wildly inconsistent this season.
Saturday, the Vols got the front court play they needed to beat No. 3 Auburn.
No Tennessee big men had some massive offensive game, and they didn’t match the Tigers’ offensive front court production, but they battled extremely hard and gave Tennessee enough to have a chance to win.
Let’s start on the glass, where Tennessee massively out rebounded a strong Auburn rebounding team, 54-31. That included 21 offensive rebounds for Tennessee to just 10 from Auburn. Kessler is one of the best offensive rebounders in the country.
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield — who played more like the five-star we saw at Missouri — was fantastic playing with a physicality we haven’t often seen from him this season. The Clarksville native grabbed eight rebounds — five on the offensive end — while blocking a pair of Auburn shots.
Tennessee’s interior offense wasn’t great, but Huntley-Hatfield, Plavscic, Fulkerson and Aidoo combined for 17 points — enough of an interior presence to give the Vols a chance.
Tennessee Punks Auburn In Second Half
Auburn entered Saturday’s game winners of six straight over Tennessee. The Tigers have had dominant wins, massive comebacks, narrow victories and nails to make the plays when the game matters. They’ve punked Tennessee on a few occasions in the last few years.
The Vols’ flipped the script with a dominant second half to end the losing streak.
Tennessee outscored the Tigers, 42-31, in the second half as they took away Auburn’s transition opportunities. The Tigers only successful half court option was give Jabari Smith the ball and get out of the way.
That option worked some for the Tigers, but even when it did the defense from Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and Josiah-Jordan James was simply fantastic.
Tennessee forced Auburn’s guards to beat them and that they did not. Wendell Green Jr. kept bombing threes despite his one-for-six performance and after turning it over just three times in the first half Auburn turned it over nine times in the second.
In a game where Tennessee’s offense struggled, the definitive stretch came when the Vols finally got shots to fall. Auburn’s offense finally woke up with 6:47 left in the half, scoring baskets on three out of four possessions.
In that stretch, Tennessee answered the bell offensively. Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James buried triples on consecutive possessions and the Vols made seven straight free throws while in the bonus to extend its lead to a game-high 11 points.
Tennessee collapsed for a stretch to allow Auburn to get back within three, but a Kennedy Chandler floater gave the Vols’ much needed breathing room as they finished off their second top five win of the season.
