Another game, another upset. On Saturday afternoon, No. 17 Tennessee defeated No. 3 Auburn by a final score of 67-62.
Auburn freshman Jabari Smith played well, scoring 27 points in a hostile environment. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome Tennessee’s balanced scoring attack.
Kennedy Chandler, Josiah-Jordan James, Santiago Vescovi and Zakai Zeigler all finished Saturday’s game in double figures.
What made this such an impressive win for Tennessee was that it managed to outscore Auburn by 11 points in the second half. It’s rare to see a team outperform Bruce Pearl’s squad in crunch time.
.@Vol_Hoops DOWNS NO. 3 AUBURN ⚡ pic.twitter.com/EVHEhrGo0g
— ESPN (@espn) February 26, 2022
With the SEC Tournament just around the corner, Tennessee has put the rest of the conference on notice with this win.
“That was a toughness win for the Vols,” ESPN’s Jeff Borzello said. “Typically elite defense, but dominated the offensive glass, consistently got to the free-throw line. Kennedy Chandler and Zakai Zeigler put so much pressure on opposing guards. Have won 10 of 12.”
FINAL: No. 17 Tennessee 67, No. 3 Auburn 62
That was a toughness win for the Vols. Typically elite defense, but dominated the offensive glass, consistently got to the free-throw line. Kennedy Chandler and Zakaj Zeigler put so much pressure on opposing guards. Have won 10 of 12.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) February 26, 2022
“Tennessee puts away Auburn in Knoxville,” Seth Davis said.”Maybe the Tigers should ditch the whole dancing on the other team’s logo bit. You gotta respect the game before you win the game.”
Tennessee puts away Auburn in Knoxville. Maybe the Tigers should ditch the whole dancing on the other team’s logo bit. You gotta respect the game before you win the game.
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) February 26, 2022
“If the SEC Tournament semifinals end up featuring Auburn, Kentucky, Arkansas and Tennessee, that is going to be a fun couple days of basketball in Tampa Bay,” Tyler Greever of WHAS11 News said.
If the SEC Tournament semifinals end up featuring Auburn, Kentucky, Arkansas and Tennessee, that is going to be a fun couple days of basketball in Tampa Bay.
— Tyler Greever (@Tyler_Greever) February 26, 2022
Tennessee will try to keep this positive momentum going this Tuesday against Georgia.
As for Auburn, it’ll try to rebound on Wednesday against Mississippi State.
The post Tennessee Defeats No. 3 Auburn In Statement Game: Fans React appeared first on The Spun.