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Three Takeaways from Tennessee Vols’ SEC Tournament Win Over Auburn Tigers

By Caleb Calhoun

Mar 9, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Detrick Mostella (15) shoots the ball between Auburn Tigers forward Jordon Granger (25) and forward Tyler Harris (12) during game one of the SEC Tournament at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Lindsey-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 9, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Detrick Mostella (15) shoots the ball between Auburn Tigers forward Jordon Granger (25) and forward Tyler Harris (12) during game one of the SEC Tournament at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Lindsey-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tennessee moved to 14-18 after beating the Auburn Tigers 97-59 in their first SEC Tournament game. Here are three takeaways from the Volunteers’ win.

It would never have been shocking to see the No. 12 Tennessee Vols at 13-18 beat the No. 13 seed Auburn Tigers and former head coach Bruce Pearl with their 11-19 record in this year’s SEC Tournament.

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But it was shocking to see them beat the Tigers by 38 points without their best player in Kevin Punter Jr.

Such a win has opened a whole new can of possibilities for Rick Barnes and the Vols, and hope is now on their side as they move into the actual first day of the tournament to face the Vanderbilt Commodores.

The Cinderella feel is in the air thanks to an offensive clinic and a break with the Tigers missing everything from the perimeter. Whether or not they can keep this up is very debatable, but this team showed something brand new in the first game of the tournament.

Here are the top three takeaways from the Tennessee Vols’ 97-59 blowout victory over the Auburn Tigers.

1. The offense goes as Armani Moore goes

This was true before Kevin Punter Jr. got hurt, it was true when he played hurt, and it is true now without him. Armani Moore is the glue of the offense as a point-forward who has been asked to do everything.

And the senior finally stepped up. Moore had 22 points, five assists, and four rebounds.

But this was more about Moore’s teammates than it was him. As Barnes said in the postgame, players have more of a responsibility to trust him. They did in this game in Nashville, and it helped them dominate. They need to do that going forward.

2. Tennessee can score out of half-court sets if they make easy buckets

Without Kevin Punter Jr., the general consensus should have been that Tennessee would need to force lots of turnovers, get aggression and dominance from Robert Hubbs III, and have every shot fall.

None of those things happened Wednesday with the exception of a solid three-point shooting performance. The other factors were nullified by what can be traced back to Armani Moore and Derek Reese. They made their wide open mid-range shots in this game.

Being able to do that will be huge for the Vols going forward. If they can do that against such a huge Vanderbilt Commodores team Thursday, the three-point game could be freed up. But only time will tell.

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3. Tennessee fans remain loyal in the worst of times

Against the former beloved Vols coach and in the midst of one of the worst seasons in Tennessee basketball history, Tennessee fans in Nashville made their presence known at Bridgestone Arena. They still have a home-court advantage and will do whatever they can to cheer this disappointing team.

That could be a huge plus for the Vols going forward in the SEC Tournament. They were much better at home than on the road this year, and nobody is unbeatable.

Given that fact and how they played against the Tigers, the Vols are in this tournament as much as anybody. The only problem is the Vanderbilt Commodores are up next, that is their worst match-up, and the home-court advantage could disappear since the game is in Nashville.

But for one night at least, Vols fans showed up in full force.

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