Auburn vs Tennessee: Battle for Boards in SEC Tournament

0:00On March 12, Auburn faces Tennessee in the SEC tournament on Thursday at 2 p.m. Central Standard Time on the SEC Network. The key battle is on the boards where Tennessee crushed Auburn 46-30 and their January 77-69 win in Knoxville. Auburn knows matching that physicality is crucial to keep its NCAA tournament hopes alive. Tennessee still ranks number one nationally in offensive rebounding, just like before that first match-up. Auburn's big men got out muscled last time, and the Tigers cannot let that happen again if they want to advance. Players like freshman forwards Sebastian Williams-Adams expressed frustration after the loss, saying their front court got punked, which is not there. Style. Coach Bruce Pearl called it a test of toughness and manhood, urging the team to fight back hard from the start. In their recent 79-61 win over Mississippi State, Auburn controlled the second half on defense but still gave up 11 offensive. Rebounds. Early fouls sideline key big man Keeshawn Murphy highlighting the need for better post-defense

1:03and aggression. Auburn outscored Tennessee in second chance points last time, despite the rebound gap, and pain scoring was nearly even. With that bad taste from January lingering, the Tigers are fired up to prove themselves and crashed the glass early.