The last time a team held Auburn under 50 points in a game was in 2016. That team was Tennessee. If Tennessee wanted to win on Saturday, it would need to post another solid defensive performance.
As Vol fans know well and once celebrated, teams led by Bruce Pearl are hard to stop once they get rolling. They shoot threes and they play at a frenetic pace. They have full-court-press knowledge and possess active hands.
Teams with patience and fortitude hold the best shot of knocking off a team like Auburn. Tennessee has demonstrated moments of these qualities throughout its up-and-down season, most recently in Rupp Arena against sixth-ranked Kentucky. The Vols were down 17 in the second half before John Fulkerson went full church-league basketball camp MVP and flailed his way to 27 points in the unlikely win over the Cats. Fulkerson is the kind of player you simply cannot stand to play against but he sure is fun to have on your team.
As it is wont to do, Auburn (25-6) came out hot, but Tennessee (17-14) had a few answers early on Senior Day.
Auburn led 16-12 as the clock stopped at the 12-minute mark due to a foul drawn by John Fulkerson. Out of the break, both teams committed turnovers but Josiah Jordan James canned a three from the corner on the Vols next possession to cut the lead to one. Danjel Purifoy answered for Auburn and the sprint for each team continued. James didn’t make a big impact after this shot.
As the half progressed, so did the steam for the Tigers. This team is big, quick and its got swag. The Tigers played in the final four last year and it shows.
The lead swelled to 14 before senior Jordan Bowden hit a three at the beep to give the Vols a puncher’s chance in the second half.
One thing was clear, with the score 42-31, Tennessee wasn’t going to hold the Tigers under 50 in this one.
Fulkerson again played well in the first half. He had 13 points while Pons kept his blocks streak alive (with 2) and Bowden led the Vols in every other statistical category of note early on.
Freshman guard Santiago Viscovi found himself in foul trouble. Again. He could end up being an all-time fan-favorite on Rocky Top, but he’s been asked to do a lot in his two months on campus and he’s as true of a freshman as it gets. He’s got it, it’s just not all the way there yet.
One such example of him having “it” was when he drove to the basket and whistled a no look twist dish to Jaylon Johnson for a look from three. The whirling dervish would have made the highlight reel had Johnson hit the shot, but it just wasn’t in the cards for Johnson, or Tennessee, on this day.
In the end, the Vols settled for too many threes against a team that averages 11 makes from the perimeter per game. It also demonstrated one of its worst rebounding efforts of the year. The Tigers outboarded the Vols 20-9 in the first half and 42-26 for the game. Just 14 days ago, Tennessee held Auburn to 28 rebounds. It was the Tigers season low.
The lead swelled to 17 early in the second half. When nearly all hope was lost for the Vols, Viscovi took over.
With 12:18 to go in the game, Viscovi hit a three then tied up Anfernee McLemore on the inbounds pass. McLemore reacted and got a technical foul and Bowden hit the two free throws. On the ensuing possession, Visovi hit another three. In less than thirty seconds of play, Tennessee had made it a six-point game and Thompson Boling Arena was cooking.
On the next play Bowden drove to the hoop and when Fulkerson followed his miss with a dunk, the spread was 58-53 with 11:15 to go.
Then Samir Dowdey hit a three.
Auburn got back on track and extenguished the spree by nailing shot after shot, most from behind the arc. The Tigers finished having made 14 of 32 threes while Tennessee hit 8 of 22. Dowdey finished with 32 points and a career high 8 triples.
Fulkerson led the Vols with 19, while Bowden and Viscovi chipped in 17 and 13, respectively.
“That’s about as good as we can play,” said Pearl after the win. “We got open looks and the kids knocked them down. Samir Doughty showed why he should be a first team all-conference player. A lot of the pieces came together.”
The former UT coach also showed his affinity for his former school while talking after to the media after the game. “I want Tennessee to win three or four more and get to the tournament… I admire Rick Barnes so much. He’s one of the best coaches in the country.”
As the regular season comes to a close and the realization that a trip to the Big Dance has been eliminated barring the aforementioned run in the SEC tournament, Vol nation will most likely look to an NIT bid or just fast-forward to next year.
Fulkerson has drawn a ton of fouls on opponents this year and it’s kept a lot of SEC teams in foul trouble. Who knows where Tennessee would be without Fulkerson this season.
If Yves Pons adds touch to his turnaround fade-away from the paint and Fulkerson proves to opponents that he can shoot from the outside, the duo could be surprising contenders for the best frontcourt in the SEC next season.
Rick Barnes and staff have compiled the finest recruiting class in school history while the Vols will lose only Bowden. While Bowden has been a major contributor in huge milestone victories over the past few seasons, help is on the way.
As for Viscovi, there’s a lot to look forward to. His ceiling is hard to project, but for now, “Despacito y por las piedras.”
