No. 1 Auburn remained perfect in SEC play and survived an upset bid Saturday over No. 6 Tennessee with a 53-51 victory at Neville Arena. Auburn star Big Man John Broome returned to the court after missing the last two games with an ankle injury and scored a game-high 16 points in his team’s seventh win over a ranked opponent this season.
Tennessee had a chance to win the game on the final possession, but star guard Zakai Zeigler missed a corner 3-pointer that would have put his team up with less than five seconds left. Broome got the defensive rebound and threw the ball past Half Court to run out the clock to help Auburn win its 11th straight game since losing alone to Duke last month in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
Tennessee was claiming its first win over a No. 1 team on the road since beating Memphis during the 2007-08 season. The Volunteers improved to 6-16 all-time against the top-ranked team in the country.
The Volunteers finished just 4 of 22 from beyond the arc, while Auburn shot 3 of 22 from distance. Miles Kelly knocked down his second 3-pointer of the night with 30 seconds left to give his team the lead again. Tennessee entered the weekend ranked No. 1 (25.9%) in team 3-point percentage allowed.
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David Cobb
Auburn’s timely shooting was the difference
Saturday’s game was a defensive slugfest. Neither team was able to buy a basket. That’s why Kelly knocking down a 3-pointer under the circumstances will be one of the biggest time plays of the season for the Tigers. The Georgia Tech transfer has seen his overall usage decline since arriving at Auburn, but his overall impact is difficult to contextualize. Kelly knocked down a 3-pointer when it mattered for Auburn against the top-ranked 3-point defense in the country. Shooting 3 of 20 from the 3-point line doesn’t look bad when you count.
Broome Return was welcomed for the home team
Over the past two weeks, the odds of winning the national player of the year odds have shifted in favor of Duke’s Cooper Flagg. Although the star freshman is having a fantastic season and could end up winning the award, Broome showed why he was the favorite for most of the season for NPOY. Broome finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and four blocks in the win over Tennessee. In other words: Auburn doesn’t win this game without him. His impact – and presence on defense – makes Auburn a surefire national title contender. Although Auburn beat Mississippi State and Georgia without Broome in the lineup, his return solidifies Auburn as the clear favorite to win the SEC near the midpoint.
The SEC Gauntlet is real
Tennessee was the last undefeated team in the sport less than three weeks ago. The Volunteers opened SEC Play with a blowout win over Arkansas to improve to 14-0. Since that win, Tennessee is 3-3 with a 4-3 record in SEC play. The loss to Vanderbilt doesn’t look so bad after the Commanders beat Kentucky earlier today at home. No more losses to Florida or Auburn, as both of those teams will be ranked in the top-five of the AP Top 25 poll next week. Tennessee can still contend for the SEC title, but losing games to Vanderbilt, Florida and now Auburn will put Rick Barnes’ team in position to play the next six weeks until the end of the regular season.
