Tigers revert to habits of year’s past, lose ugly in SEC Semi, 70-65

[ad_1]

The Auburn Tigers have not made a run past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2019. While each iteration of Bruce Pearl’s Tigers have been plagued by a specific set of issues resulting in those early exists, one overarching trope has trumped them all. At the end of the day, guard play is what leads to victories in the month of March.

For the first four months of the 2024-2025 campaign, Auburn’s guard play was among the best in the nation. Over the last four games, it has been below-average. Tahaad Pettiford, Miles Kelly, Denver Jones, and Chad Baker-Mazara combined for just 10 field goals on Saturday, a mark that was 2 ticks lower than the amount of fouls the quartet commited.

Tennessee’s All-SEC backcourt of Zakai Ziegler, Jordan Gainey, and Chaz Lanier combined for 47 points, marking the key differance in what turned into a 5-point Volunteer victory.

Tennessee got on the board first with a contested three from guard Chaz Lanier before Denver Jones got the Tigers started with a deep long ball of his own. From there, the scoring skyrocketed, with both ‘Final Four’ hopefuls trading buckets throughout the opening minutes of the game.

All-SEC guard Zakai Ziegler took over much of the offensive production for his Volunteers, while Chad Baker-Mazara, Johni Broome, and Miles Kelly led an inside-out attack for Bruce Pearl’s Tigers. The scorching nature of the scoring continued, with 4-seed Tennessee jumping out to an early lead.

Ziegler and company, who are playing for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, knocked down 6 of their first 8 field goals, leading to an early 15-14 advantage seven minutes into the first frame. That lead ballooned as Auburn began struggling offensively towards the end of the half.

While Tennessee, which is not known for its offensive prowess, continued to pick apart Auburn’s defense, the Tigers were forced to grind for buckets against a stout Rick Barnes-led front. Johni Broome kept his top-seeded squad within striking distance, but the slashing…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/auburn/mens-basketball/2025/03/15/tigers-revert-to-habits-of-years-past-lose-ugly-in-sec-semi-70-65/82444099007/

Author :

Publish date : 2025-03-15 19:29:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.