Saturday night’s game between Auburn and Tennessee was the pinnacle of high-stakes college basketball.

The offense was far from efficient and the contest wasn’t always pretty to watch, but it was physical, intense and created an atmosphere only this sport seems to be able to create.

It ended with Auburn winning the game 53-51 after a go-ahead 3-pointer from Miles Kelly with 30 seconds to go.

Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s game.

Return of Johni Broome

Going into Saturday’s game, there was no bigger storyline than whether or not Auburn star center Johni Broome would make his return against Tennessee.

He missed Auburn’s previous two games after suffering a sprained left ankle during Auburn’s Jan. 11 win over South Carolina. Broome didn’t start, but checked in for the first time at the 17:20 mark of the first half, eliciting loud roars from the Neville Arena crowd.

His first basket was a layup at the 13:26 mark of the first half, but he really brought the crowd to its feet around five minutes later, knocking down the game’s first 3-pointer in a physical, offense-deficient first half.

Despite not starting, Broome still played 32 minutes and finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

Every basket felt game-changing

To say points were hard to come by Saturday night would be an understatement.

In the first half, neither Auburn nor Tennessee shot better than 28% from the field, and the two teams combined to shoot 1-for-21 from 3-point range. Baskets felt like a blessing for both teams, and every point Auburn scored drew raucous cheers from the Neville Arena crowd.

There was no better example of that than Broome’s 3-pointer around midway through the first half, but neither team struck from long range again until the 12:10 mark of the second half.

Good defense was expected, though. Tennessee came into the game with the third best defensive rating in the country, per KenPom, and Auburn was still among the top tier of college basketball at No. 20.

However, given the offensive talent both teams had within their respective rosters, a slugfest of this caliber seemed unlikely. It drew comparisons to Tennessee’s 46-43 win over Auburn in February 2023, a game in which Auburn shot 23.6% from the field and Tennessee wasn’t much better at 27%.

That game also featured 32 combined fouls; a total Saturday’s matchup surpassed.

Fight through distractions

Auburn had to deal with its fair share of adversity against Tennessee, and some of it was out of the Tigers’ control.

While Broome returned and looked like his normal self, Auburn’s rotation took multiple hits at different parts of the game. Chad Baker-Mazara went to the locker room monetarily during the first half holding his head after a collision at the rim.

He later returned without any further complications, but it wasn’t the only attrition Auburn suffered with its wings.

Freshman Jahki Howard took Baker-Mazara’s spot for the spell he spent in the locker room, but his game ended close to the midway point of the second half.

After Lanier — the player Howard was guarding — made Tennessee’s first 3-pointer of the game, Howard and head coach Bruce Pearl appeared to engage in an animated discussion during the ensuing timeout, ending with Howard going to the locker room and not returning.

Chris Moore is another player Auburn often utilizes on the wing, but he was forced to leave the game after colliding with Denver Jones later in the second half.

Auburn overcame the distractions in the end, though, another example of the team’s experience and leadership.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at prauterkus@al.com