Tennessee basketball: Vols fall to Auburn with SEC Title on the line

The Tennessee basketball team finished the 2018-19 regular season with a loss to the Auburn Tigers. Here are three takeaways from the game.

If you blinked you missed approximately five-to-eight made buckets, that’s how the pace of the game was flowing. Both teams were knocking down shots and playing with a ton of energy — the first ten minutes of the game displayed hot shooting from both teams and 40 points combined.

The first two minutes of the game started with a Grant Williams score in the paint, followed by a Chua Okeke made three-point jumper from the corner. Lamonte Turner came right back down and made a three-point jumper of his own, then a dunk from Jordan Bone pull the Vols up 7-3.

Jordan Bowden came off the bench and gave Tennessee a spark with five points less than a minute apart. At the under eight timeout, Bowden had 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting. When he can provide that much production off the bench, the Vols are impossible to beat.

However, the Tigers were hanging tough connecting on 6-of-18 shots from the three-point line. Okeke finished the half leading the way with 13 points on 50 percent from deep.

Not another second half where the Vols don’t show up. Auburn opened the half on a 7-0 run. But, the Vols answered and was looking like they were in control, then Chuma Okeke made a three-point jumper.

Then Okeke stole Admiral’s lunch and took it all the way for a jam to get the crowd rocking.

Most of the second half was both teams throwing absolute haymakers on each other and fighting for every single point.

Here are three takeaways from the last regular season game of the 2018-19 season.

1. Lamonte Turner shot Vols out of the win, again

Lamonte Turner is a good player. He brings a lot to the table and has helped Tennessee win many games throughout his career.

However, he’s also cost the Vols many of games as well.

In fact, in each loss this season, Turner had horrible performances from the three-point line which cost the Vols dearly.

Turner finished the game 1-for-8 from the three-point line in the fourth loss of the season.

1-for-8 vs. Auburn – L

1-for-7 vs. LSU – L

0-for-7 vs. Kentucky – L

2-for-9 vs. Kansas – L

2-for-7 vs. Loyola (NCAA Tournament) – L

2-for-7 vs. Kentucky (SEC Tournament)- L

In the last six losses, Turner shot 8-for-45, 17 percent from the three-point line. I’m not blaming the entire loss on Turner, but he sure didn’t help.

2. Hello Jordan Bowden

Welcome back to college hoops Jordan Bowden. Only once in the past six games did Bowden score in double figures which came against Mississippi State last Tuesday night.

Bowden started off SEC play as the easy pick to win SEC Sixth Man of the Year. He scored 20 against Georgia and Missouri in back-to-back games.

Since the loss in Rupp Arena, it appeared Bowden lost his confidence. However, he got it back against the Tigers scoring 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including 3-for-7 from the three-point line.

This was the17th game Bowden found himself in double figures. Before the loss, the Vols were 16-0 on the season when Bowden scored over ten points.

3. Back-to-back SEC regular season champs…NOT

With the win, Tennessee wins back-to-back SEC regular season titles for the first time in program history. Well, that’s what I was going to say, but the Vols didn’t win.

This might be the worst loss of the season because the SEC Championship was on the line and the Vols didn’t show up. With the loss, Rick Barnes moves to 2-4 in big games on the season, and it isn’t a good look heading into postseason play.

Who knows what is going to happen with LSU with their wins and how the season shapes out. However, at the current moment, the Vols will be the three seed in the SEC Tournament. The next game, again at the current moment, will be on the last game on Friday night.