Mark Byington credits Auburn for no weaknesses after loss

Vanderbilt has built a habit of beating highly-ranked teams in Nashville under Mark Byington. Some thought Auburn could be next up, especially after the Tigers recently lost to Florida. A fun atmosphere packed inside Memorial Gymnasium but in the end, Auburn walked out victors.

It’s the first time Byington got a first-hand look at Bruce Pearl’s team and he certainly came away impressed. Byington claims Auburn has no weaknesses on either side of the ball. Different lineups means offensive possessions look different throughout the game while the defensive effort was consistent for all 40 minutes.

“They don’t have any weaknesses,” Byington said. “They can play a different style of basketball, they really execute. Their offense is good and I thought their defense was really impressive today. We struggled early getting rhythm, couldn’t get looks. And then we were able to find some but it wasn’t long lasting. With them, the mistakes compound.

“We miss a layup, it compounds, we miss an open three. Not to say we need to play perfect but we can play better and we should have played better. I don’t think we were as good as we have been or can be.”

Not many teams have been able to figure out Auburn this season. Duke and Florida are the only two to beat them. Prior to the game at Cameron Indoor, Auburn was undefeated and through a tough Maui Invitational run. And then after losing to the Blue Devils, a 14-game win streak was rattled off before Saturday’s loss.

Vanderbilt fell short just as many have. While there is nothing to be ashamed of, Byington knows he wants his team to play a little better moving forward.

Unfortunately, there will not be another opportunity to face Auburn, at least during the regular season. There is always a possibility of meeting up in the SEC Tournament. Although, if the event from Nashville were to start today, the two programs would be bracketed on different sides.

But there is still a lot of basketball to be played. Vanderbilt is back on the court Saturday for an in-state showdown against Tennessee. Byington is currently 1-0 against the Vols and is hoping to bring the win total to two.

Auburn has a rivalry game of its own to play but with just slightly bigger implications. No. 2 Alabama will host them in Coleman Coliseum, setting up to be a historic SEC showdown between the nation’s top two rated teams.