No. 1 Auburn’s regular season had a less-than-ideal ending and its struggles to defend down low and rebound were a large part of the reason why.

No. 7 Alabama had 52 points in the paint en route to its 93-91 overtime victory. Getting the Crimson Tide off the 3-point line was a priority for the Tigers, but Alabama capitalized on the opportunities it was given as a result.

“Our goal was to run them off the 3-point line, make them take tougher 2s,” Johni Broome said. “They're the best 3-point shooting team in the country, probably. Going into the game, it was making them score in the paint, making them go to the basket. Credit to them.”

Similar to their road loss against Texas A&M on Tuesday night, the Tigers struggled to box out. They allowed Alabama to record 10 offensive rebounds, leading to 18 second-chance points.

“I thought we had just too many defensive breakdowns — too many things that we talked about trying to do that we did not do that we weren't locked into on the scout,” AU coach Bruce Pearl said.

“As a result, they had some better looks at the rim. They got downhill. They got the offensive rebounding, very similar to what Texas A&M did. Except, obviously, Alabama shoots it better.”

The rebound advantage the Crimson Tide had was not as significant as the one enjoyed by Texas A&M, but still did not reflect what the Tigers would have hoped for. Auburn was out-rebounded 41-33 overall, 10-9 on the offensive end and 31-24 on the defensive end.

“We have to do a better job on the glass. It starts with me, obviously,” Broome said. “I have to be better. I haven't had a double-double in three games. That's not like me. So, it starts with me, like I said. But as a collective, we have to crack down. We have to all box out. Bigs got to box out, guards got to crack down. It's a team effort.”

The Tigers will aim to improve their play on the boards as well as in the paint during the SEC and NCAA Tournaments. If they fail to do so, their season could come to a premature end, similar to how it did a year ago.