Tennessee basketball: 3 takeaways from Vols 94-84 home loss to Auburn Tigers

Tennessee basketball fell to 0-2 in the SEC after falling at home to the Auburn Tigers 94-84. Here are three takeaways from the Volunteers’ loss.

Bruce Pearl returned to Knoxville and finally got a win. At the same time, the momentum behind Tennessee basketball at the beginning of December has begun to fade significantly with a second straight loss and a third loss in four games against a Power Five opponent. Auburn beat Tennessee in Knoxville 94-84.

With the loss, the Vols fall to 9-4 on the year and 0-2 in the SEC. Meanwhile, the red-hot Auburn Tigers extended their winning streak 11 games and improved to 13-1 and 1-0 in the SEC.

This is a disastrous outcome to start conference play for the Vols as they get set to face the No. 17 ranked Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday. Another loss could start to put them in trouble as far as the NCAA Tournament picture goes, despite a very high RPI ranking at this point.

Here are three takeaways from Tennessee basketball’s SEC home opening loss.

1. Auburn outworked Tennessee in every way.

I don’t know if Tennessee basketball was tired after an overtime road loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks Saturday, if the loss kept them from getting up for this game, or if they just didn’t take the Auburn Tigers seriously. But whatever it was, the Vols were embarrassingly outworked in this game in horrific fashion. The Vols got outrebounded 46 to 38 and gave up 22 offensive rebounds. Yes, you read that right. A team with Grant Williams, Kyle Alexander and Admiral Schofield in the starting lineup allowed 22 offensive rebounds!

But even more embarrassing than that, this is a team that forces 17 turnovers a game, including seven steals, and was going up against a team that turns the ball over 14 times a game. Somehow that translated into the Vols only forcing 10 turnovers and three steals, while Auburn got nine steals. On top of all this, Pearl had five players in foul trouble the whole game, two of whom fouled out. But they still managed to be more aggressive than Tennessee basketball.

2. Guard play remains wildly inconsistent.

Tennessee basketball had guard with more than three assists on the night. Jordan Bone is coming along as a solid scoring threat. However, he needs to show better awareness and be a better distributor. Meanwhile, the scoring guards have simply not been able to put it together.

James Daniel III was 0-for-4 in this game. Chris Darrington still hasn’t found his stroke. And while Lamonte Turner was red-hot with 25 points, it was cancelled out by Jordan Bowden scoring one point. All of these guys can score, but it seems like only one is able to bring it on any night. In fact, Turner and Bowden have both scored in double figures in the same game only once this year. Rick Barnes needs three of those four guys to be scoring threats at a high level each night. It hasn’t happened, and that cost the Vols in this one.

3. Tennessee basketball continues to give up big runs. 

Once again, the Vols gave up a double-digit lead. And once again, they then allowed the other team to take a double-digit lead late in a game because of a huge run. I still reject the notion of Tennessee basketball struggling to finish games. But giving up too many runs is clearly an issue.

How does this happen? The Vols may be a tempo-based team, but they have a skilled inside game with Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield. And there defense is supposed to be aggressive at all times. This is an issue that has to be fixed. The Vols need to be able to slow the game down when they get in control, and they can’t go into offensive funks. Meanwhile, the defense has to be able to keep shutting teams down and not fall apart. That happened again Tuesday, and it’s why they’re 0-2 in the SEC.