TUSCALOOSA - The No. 8 Auburn Tigers (16-3, 4-1 SEC) fell 79-75 at the hands of the Alabama Crimson Tide (13-6, 4-1 SEC) at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday night.
Auburn saw its 12-game winning streak come to an end and picked up its first loss of conference play.
What are the biggest things that led to Auburn’s loss?
Homecourt advantage
Auburn stepped into a hostile environment on Wednesday, and it showed.
A team that has taken care of the ball and avoided mental errors consistently this season let the environment get to them.
Head coach Bruce Pearl and the rest of the Tigers will be stepping into another tough road atmosphere against Mississippi State on Saturday.
Rylan Griffen was on from 3-point range
Alabama’s sophomore guard from Dallas, Texas, put on a clinic from beyond the arc.
Griffen went 5-10 from 3-point range and finished the game with 17 points.
Alabama’s offense can cause damage in a lot of ways, and Griffen’s performance is an example of that.
Auburn went silent from 3-point range.
Auburn shot 5-25 or 20% from beyond the arc as a team.
The only Tiger to make more than one 3-point basket was Tre Donaldson, who went 2-3.
Three other Tigers made one 3-point basket each.
Mark Sears went off
Alabama’s star guard from Muscle Shoals put on a clinic.
Sears finished with 22 points, five rebounds and eight assists. He shot 9-21 from the field.
Auburn was unable to find an answer for Sears.
Auburn returns to action on Saturday to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville. Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT. The television broadcast can be found on SEC Network, and the Auburn Sports Network broadcast can be streamed anywhere on the Auburn Athletics App.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email daniel.locke@1819news.com.
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