By Jay King
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee’s biggest weakness this season was its biggest strength today.
In the Volunteers’ first taste of postseason action, they had to face off against an Auburn Tigers team that is doing everything it can to build a NCAA tournament-worthy resume.
Tennessee, on the other hand, does not have that much to play for, as they have already secured a tournament spot and are most likely not clinching a top-four seed.
Most of the game felt that way, as Auburn was dominating for the first three quarters.
Tahaad Pettiford was giving Tennessee fits throughout, as he had 28 points, while knocking down five three-pointers.
While it was never a blowout, Auburn was leading the whole game after the 15:09 mark in the first half. This even included Tennessee losing the rebounding battle, something they did only twice this season, both of which resulted in losses.
It was looking like Tennessee wanted the early exit for extra rest. Then, something clicked.
Somehow, someway, Tennessee went on a dominant run. In the final 10 minutes of the game, Tennessee outscored Auburn 31-11, including a 20-0 run that lasted over six minutes.
“The first thing that I said to [the players] when I walked into the locker room, [was] this is like a first-round NCAA game,” said head coach Rick Barnes. “We’ve got a great group of guys; they really wanna win.”
The second half saw Tennessee shooting 50% from the field, compared to Auburn’s 32.3%. Tennessee also outrebounded the Tigers 24-19, and Auburn had seven turnovers, compared to Tennessee’s three.
This comeback effort was led by someone who was questionable to even play up until last night, forward Nate Ament.
“I kind of knew early last night I was going to play,” said Ament. “[My coaches and trainers] have been working super hard for me, so a lot of credit to them.”
After suffering a gruesome injury against Alabama two weeks ago, Ament did not play in the following two games.
He looked like there was not even an injury to begin with.
Ament led the Vols in scoring, rebounding, and assists, dropping 27, eight, and four, respectively. He also scored the team’s only four three-pointers of the game.
Tennessee’s three biggest weaknesses have been consistent throughout the season: turnovers, free-throw shooting, and giving up large runs.
Looking at free-throw shooting, the Vols shot 75%, which is an improvement from their 69% that they have shot this season, though still leaving room for improvement.
Further, Auburn turned the ball over twice as much as Tennessee, 12-6.
Finally, for giving up large runs, for once, Tennessee was the team that went on the major run. This comes as a major breath of fresh air for Volunteer fans, after suffering losses against Kentucky (twice) and Alabama.
While this was a well-rounded win for the Volunteers, they still have more to prove.
Tennessee will get the chance to show that they are more of a contender tomorrow, as they face their arch-rival, the Vanderbilt Commodores, for the second time in the past week.
Going on a deep run in this tournament will make a March Madness run look more convincing, but for now, it’s one game at a time for the Vols.