Postgame Pod: Tennessee defeats Auburn 72-62

I welcome back everybody in here to the post game pod at Auburn undercover Nathan King here joined by Patrick Bingham

Nice to get outside for a minute after being in the arena the past the past couple days

We decided we'd brave Broadway for the for the post game show

He would not let me do it on the top of Tutsis on the now on the top

I don't think they'd let you with a giant tripod on the on the top of Tutsis

but Auburn in that building today may have seen its NCAA tournament hopes come to a close

72-62 they lose to Tennessee and Patrick it really did not feel that way

That that was going to happen until it did it was a it was a very

Violetly sudden cascade for this Auburn team you don't see you know a 10 nothing run is considered a kill shot

There's lots of metrics around like how effective that can be if you have X number of them you you can win

The games on a higher percentage a 20 nothing run for for Tennessee

It was again Patrick very dramatic the way that this game flipped because Auburn

They're playing tremendously through the first 30 minutes and 30 minutes of this game and really felt like they were in control

Yeah, I just felt like they were doing everything they needed to do to control this game early on

They were making threes early on Tennessee was not shooting particularly well

I think the defense was really the biggest thing I mean it just it looked the best it probably has at least since Florida if not all year and

I mean they were getting stops

I mean it was just like everything you could have like said oh this team's happened Auburn was killing them and re-bounding

I mean it was like literally everything if you were to dream up this morning

How can Auburn take control of this game they did and then it I mean it was such a fast

20-0 run I mean it was just like in seconds that almost felt like the entire game had flipped and you know for as much as

Like during these last almost like a month of

Well, this loss is really bad for Auburn

But they still have a chance to make the tournament and they had these big opportunities and then well they did capitalize on this

But they beat the bad team well

They have another big opportunity they can take advantage, but they couldn't beat Alabama and this was kind of the last one and then

What felt like just a couple minutes it snaps away and now

It's sure they could make it but it is no longer in your hands

And I think that's what made things so frustrating for them in the second half is that it was so gettable

You were playing so well. This was not the Alabama game where it was like you you were it was out of your hands very

And they were holding you at a 10-point lead. Correct. It felt like you were playing so strong throughout and so

It wasn't overly surprising to see I has to say tempers flare

But I mean they were just they were just extremely frustrated toward the toward the end of the game

I mean it Stephen Pearl it felt like that tech from Stephen Pearl was bubbling for

Five or six minutes obviously and one of the things he talked about after the game is that it was so it was so frustrating for them

Not to be able to get to the foul line during that during that stretch

Obviously it was frustrated with the officiating

Because he said that over the course of season look Auburn's fifth in the country and free throw shooting

During other teams runs and he's right a good way to slow those down is just get to the foul line game

Game take some major step down you start making subs

I think that's some people need to think about like you can bring your subs into the game and and get to the free throw line and make some points

During Tennessee's 20 zero run. Do you know how many free throws Auburn shot they shot exactly one free throw

It was a one-on-one with Keach on haul and he missed it

So that was a huge difference as as well

But yeah, you're exactly right. I mean at the beginning of the game

Heading into this one rebounding with something Auburn talked about so much because Tennessee quote unquote pumped them in that first game

Yes, plus 16 on the boards in that first meeting Auburn was up like the entire game rebounding margin

I can't remember what the final one winning by one. They won by one. They they had

16 offensive rebounds Auburn did in this game

22 second chance points for Auburn like this was not a matter of physicality

This was not a matter of effort. It was just something that cascaded so quickly and Nate Nate a ment for for Tennessee

I know he was kind of questionable going into this game

Looked plenty healthy. I mean he put Tennessee on his back in this game. Yes

Yeah, and the second half you could just tell it was all trending towards him taking over

But I think that's the thing in the second half and particularly during the meltdown in that 20 a run is

For as good as so many things that had been like

Things that had really struggled Auburn, you know like making difficult shots or the turnovers or whatever

It all started to cascade and it really what I mean Steven's I was tailored to have

But it really was like a tale of like this is the best of what this team could be and then we kind of saw a lot of what the worst of

Just not making shots the turnovers really pounding them as well and I'll go back to a phrase that we've heard Stephen

Pearl turn so many times the season and that is you know let your defense don't let your defense affect your offense

That's like this was patient zero for that in any sort of basketball scenario

And Todd better for put it really well after the game. He's like, yeah, you know

We thought about it while we were shooting on the other end

We thought Auburn had four turnovers during this 20 nothing run

You know they thought about it when they were making passes

It was like yes, and the crowd is one thing. I'll say to they held that crowd at bay the whole game like

Tennessee fans were

Dying for some momentum and Auburn kept holding them all and there were several times early the second half where they like got it

Within seven and the crowd kind of lit up and then Auburn made a shot and interesting when when when Tennessee

I'm sure Tennessee fans thought this might have been a trigger point was they get within six and the second half and that's when

Jalen Kerry has a technical foul and it's like oh my gosh you keep blowing these opportunities Auburn ends up going back up 10

They could not overcome the momentum Auburn couldn't like once you gave Tennessee an inch that crowd went a mile

And in a casket the Stephen Pearl thing like him getting attacked you know playing his former team

Obviously now Tennessee fans were we're letting him hear it like it just started to roll and roll and so obviously a very frustrating result here

Look Patrick is not surprising

Surprising that Auburn lost this game like that they they they needed this win

It was gonna be kind of an upset win for their NCAA tournament chances

But the manner in which it happened now has you waiting for selections on day and

That's all we can do now at this point and Stephen Pearl made his point to the committee very clear after the game

We've heard him do it a couple times

This was a very detailed I think I think you have the notes ready on so this is very detailed

You know description of why I'll make the tournament. Yeah, and that's the thing

It's even talking to all the players of course everyone is encouraging for themselves and giving all the different reasons

But it again, it's one of those things I think and we said this I think coming into the week of

So much of it. I still think is

Almost outside of your hands. Yes, or the committee's hands

But also in other bubble teams hands of course like my move of Ohio losing in their conference tournament really opens up a bit

Stealer there's a bunch of different things of like how this will play out how bubble teams a lot of bubble teams have already lost or lost

Their first night in the tournaments and so a lot of it is just gonna come down to

How other teams do where your stuff stacks up with and at this point, you know, it is out of your hands

I mean, it's I and I has I hate to like beat a dead horse with the conversation

And maybe some people are tired of hearing like you know, what are Auburn tournament chances in a bubble

But it but it really is like you said, it's a living breathing

Conversation because we didn't know my amoeba. I was gonna lose until this morning like that now introduces another element into the conversation

And and here's the thing about what Stephen Pearl said and I saw Auburn fans saying this like

Everything he said he's right like every single point he made he's right Auburn has more

Quality wins than everybody on the bubble. They have more top 50 net wins than everybody on the bubble

They have more wins against the field than everybody on the bubble. They have more top 25 road wins than anybody on the bubble

The problem is they have more losses than everybody on the bubble

So how much is that going to to matter here?

And I think it's not even just like overall losses because I think we've also seen the argument of well

Auburn shouldn't have played that crazy non-conference because it's hurts a your strength of schedule is actually what's helping you in my opinion

One of the things that's helping you, but I think it's also it for me and I think for a lot of people it still comes down to

It's not all the losses. It's

All missed the first time Mississippi state the first time a home like I mean

It's it's those that I've cast even Missouri who's allegedly on the bubble like I it's those games where it's like you have so many opportunities

To just get one or two more and they were probably not even having this conversation

And that's the conversation that every team in Auburn position has at this point of every season is you want to nitpick

What's happening right now and how you compare but in reality the committee looks at every season in totality and every season is its own thing in totality

You if Auburn doesn't make the tournament. It's not because of what happened here in mid-March

It's because of it's because of you losing at home to say an M

It's because of you losing on the road

It's because you losing home to Ole Miss because you losing on the road to the same was true last year was Auburn lost to A&M

And then lost Alabama and then came here in only one one game the committee didn't hold a

Two-week span over the course of Auburn's entire body for no

No, and and the again to Patrick's point the problem is not that

They maybe like some other bubble teams that have kind of cast you know fallen here at the end the problem is this is a month plus

Span of mostly losses for this Auburn team and when you really look at it again

We talked about that Kentucky win being so huge if they do get in

I think Elijah Freeman's tip and will will continue to be what pushed them because what have they done other than that Kentucky win?

They beat a really terrible LSU team that ended up being the 16 see they beat them at home

And then they got revenge for losing a Mississippi state

But that's team you already lost to during the regular season and so Auburn now gets to gets to sweat it out

I will say you know not much confirmation or anything here

But you know I asked even Pearl if they've had conversations about the NIT like just you know

Hey, if you don't get selected have you had a conversation about going to that or another postseason event and he said no

Obviously they have but you know

He's using this as an opportunity to continue to want to make the other thing for yes

They want to prop up their team and there's thought it was funny Steven was like he saw people get mad at him for making the

The argument after the Alabama game. He kind of had a similar similar thing after that

He's like look guys. This is my job to like prop up my team

It would be concerning if you weren't actually these guys just send them home

No, they don't need to play although I obviously Auburn fans feel that way maybe at this point

But you know after all of this we still will head into these last 72 hours

With a conversation to be had on the bubble and we'll still have to track what other teams are doing on the bubble

There's just so many conversations to be out of Miami, but Ohio

Conversation to be had people are talking about you know

Hey, just put those teams against each other call the Bruce Pearl invitational and make him get on the bill be on this election

Make him go make him get on the call give Miami Ohio a home game

They're in there and Dayton and just kind of see what happens

These people bring up the like Texas is fallen so far off and Auburn owns a head to head over them like it's it's just

There's a lot really to go off of here, but in terms of today. This is a

This is a crushing result. This is this is a painful result

For Auburn at this obviously this stage in the season just because you felt like

Legitimately for 30 minutes and you really were you're playing such a tremendous game

And now it is in the committee sands and maybe the hands of some other bubble teams

We'll see what happens. Keep it locked over at Auburn undercover.com

We will do our best to make sense of it all

Leading into a Sunday evening where Auburn will learn whether it is a tournament team

That gets to go to the first four or if the Steven Pearl your one and Steven Pearl era ends with either the season being over or another

Event so for Patrick Bingham. I'm Nathan King. Thank you guys so much for joining us this week at the SC at turn SEC tournament

We appreciate everybody

Watching our videos and and keeping track as Auburn won one game here

But we've been here since since Tuesday documenting things so we will see you guys back in Auburn for the

Selection show and for the start of spring practice next week. We'll see you over at Auburn undercover.com. Talk to you soon