Tigers of the Game: Auburn’s top players from loss to Tennessee

Auburn basketball’s four-game winning streak was snapped Saturday as the Tigers fell to Tennessee, 77-69, at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Auburn once again went with an eight-man rotation, with most of the participants contributing to the Tigers’ point total. Seven of Auburn’s eight players scored in the game, with each of them scoring at least six points. However, Auburn basketball struggled overall from the field despite the diverse production. The Tigers shot 38% compared to Tennessee’s 44%. Tennessee was also more selective from three-point territory and made more trips to the free-throw line than Auburn. Those two stats stood out to Auburn head coach Steven Pearl.

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“Credit to Tennessee. They beat us at our own game,” Pearl said postgame. “They got to the foul line 11 more times than we did and they did a really good job of attacking the paint. They hit four early threes and they didn’t continue to settle for 3s like we did. They out physicaled us and had their way.”

Despite the loss, there are several notable individual performances to mention. Here are the “Tigers of the Game” from Auburn basketball’s loss to Tennessee on Saturday night.

Taylor Jones: Filip Jovic

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE – JANUARY 31: Filip Jovic #38 of the Auburn Tigers blocked by J.P. Estrella #13 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half of the game at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 31, 2026 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

Filip Jovic posted another perfect performance from the field in Auburn basketball’s loss to Tennessee on Saturday. Jovic shot 2-for-2 from the field and went 4-for-8 from the free-throw stripe en route to an eight-point outing. He also grabbed seven rebounds, which is a season high for him in SEC play. Jovic is now averaging 7.4 points per game against SEC competition, and his eight-point outing Saturday was his highest-scoring output since 23 in Auburn’s win over South Carolina on Jan. 17.

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