KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Lost in Samir Doughty's 32-point performance Saturday in Knoxville was Auburn's effort on the defensive end against Tennessee.
The Tigers came into the game wanting to be more aggressive defensively by extending what they do and making Tennessee run their offense from outside the 3-point line. The goal was to get stops, force turnovers and create more opportunities to score points on the other end.
"When we are aggressive defensively, I think it helps us offensively because we're able to create more possessions with our defense," Auburn assistant coach Steven Pearl said. "And it just keeps our guys a little more engaged when they're being told that they have to make plays defensively. Not just guard their stuff but kind of dictate what the other team is doing.
"If we let teams just run their offense, they're able to kind of pick us apart sometimes. When we try and speed them up and get them to do things that they're not comfortable doing, I feel like it really helps us just be more engaged in the game."
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It was that aggressive defense Saturday causing an early turnover that led to a run-out and a one-handed dunk. It gave Auburn a 6-4 lead and set the tone for the rest of the game.
The play started with Doughty denying the ball to the point guard and taking him out of the play. Instead, Tennessee tried to run a dribble-handoff outside the 3-point line, but J'Von McCormick jumped into the defender and blew it up. That forced Tennessee's two guard to reject the screen and spin the other way. McCormick, right in his back pocket, picked the ball from behind for a steal.
"I saw him trying to go downhill and then he stopped, so I just stole it from him," McCormick said. "I feel like I bait people into giving me the ball. I kind of jab at them a little bit and they pick it up or try to make passes they can't make, and I end up taking the ball."
It was one of three steals in the game for McCormick who has 35 steals on the season.
Meanwhile, Anfernee McLemore had just checked into the game and was pressed up on his man at the top of the key in ball-screen coverage.
"When I saw he had the steal, we started running out on the break," McLemore said. "I tried to get to the left side of the court because I saw [McCormick] running on the right side. I thought he was going to throw an alley-oop, but he ended up bouncing it to me. [John] Fulkerson turned around at the right time and didn't jump, so I just went and slammed it home."
"I was going to throw him an alley, but he told me to just pass to him," McCormick said. "So I passed it, and he boomed it."
A left-handed slam in transition, it was the type of play that would've sent the crowd at Auburn Arena into a frenzy. It had the opposite effect on the road, silencing the Tennessee fans, but it energized the Auburn bench and the Auburn fans who made the trip to Knoxville.
"That play just gave us a lot of momentum," McLemore said. "We were in a hostile environment with the Tennessee crowd. I think that just really propelled our game and gave us a little bit more energy and excitement."
"We're a pretty fun, athletic team," added McCormick. "That gets us going."