Despite Tennessee’s 51-53 loss to No. 1 Auburn on Saturday night, the Vols have proven they have what it takes to compete for a championship. Whether it be a conference or national title, Tennessee has the grit and toughness to win both after taking Auburn to its limits.
Rick Barnes recognized that there are positives to take away from the loss, although the Vols had the win within its grasp. “I should be positive. They fought hard all night long,” Barnes said postgame.
Tennessee’s defense stood out, limiting the explosive Tigers’ offense to only 53 points, Auburn’s lowest point total of the season by 13 points. The Vols finally showed their defensive toughness and grit after being virtually absent since the Florida loss.
Barnes and Tennessee players also noticed the Vols’ fight. Tennessee’s locker room leader, Zakai Zeigler, admitted that the Vols probably should have won the game, but the team still “showed a lot of toughness” despite the loss.
“We showed a lot of toughness,” Zeigler said. “We feel like we should have won the game (and) Coach Barnes feels the same way. But he said the same thing I said. We showed a lot of toughness. We pride ourselves on being a really tough team, and we didn’t come out on top, but we did do that.”
Tennessee fans have been craving this type of performance for the past few weeks. Tennessee has shown it is capable of playing this type of physical game throughout the season, but the Vols’ physicality and toughness have been absent in recent weeks.
Barnes also mentioned postgame that the Vols need to improve offensively. Even if they can put together a strong defensive performance, 51 points won’t be enough throughout the NCAA Tournament.
Finding the offense will be critical for Tennessee to make a run in March. Chaz Lanier and Zeigler are Tennessee’s offensive leaders, but the entire team is capable of lighting up the floor any given night.
Lanier and Zeigler have to carry the offense until the rest starts to click. Zeigler led the team in scoring with 14 points against Auburn, but it wasn’t pretty. No player made over four shots all night, and Jordan Gainey and Lanier are the only players to make a three-point shot with two apiece.
