ESPN’s College Gameday is headed on the road for the first time this basketball season on Saturday, Jan. 25 when they head to Auburn, Alabama for the Vols’ road matchup.
First road show of the year‼️
We’re heading to Auburn for a big-time SEC showdown between @Vol_Hoops and @AuburnMBB 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xIGZfapgqG
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) January 17, 2025
In a year full of marquee matchups in the SEC, Tennessee at Auburn is one of the most notable. In this week’s AP Poll, Auburn is the top-ranked team while Tennessee comes in at No. 6. If the Vols win at Vanderbilt on Saturday, they’ll almost certainly jump back into the top five due No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Florida each losing games earlier this week.
Tennessee faces Vanderbilt on the road this Saturday before facing No. 15 Mississippi State on Tuesday in Knoxville. Auburn plays at Georgia this weekend and has its midweek bye next week ahead of the matchup against Tennessee.
More From RTI: Everything Rick Barnes Said Previewing Tennessee Basketball Matchup At Vanderbilt
Auburn is currently tied atop the SEC with Ole Miss while Tennessee is one of four 3-1 teams through the first two weeks of conference play.
A major storyline to watch ahead of the matchup is the status of star Auburn forward Johni Broome. One of the favorites to win National Player of the Year, Broome suffered an ankle injury in the Tigers’ win at South Carolina last Saturday. He missed Auburn’s midweek win over Mississippi State and the timetable for his return is uncertain.
Tennessee and Auburn have been two of the SEC’s top programs under head coaches Rick Barnes and Bruce Pearl. Over the last three years, the two teams have combined to win four of the six SEC Championships with Alabama winning the other two.
Barnes is 6-8 against Auburn during his Tennessee tenure but is just 1-4 in games at Auburn. The Vols have won three of the last four matchups in the series.
Tipoff between Tennessee and Auburn is at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 25. ESPN’s College Gameday will begin its broadcast at 11 a.m. ET.