Tennessee basketball is back in action on Saturday night when they host Auburn in a SEC matchup. Both teams are playing well entering the game and looking to extend winning streaks to end January.
Here’s everything to know about the matchup from the broadcast details to the betting odds and much more.
More From RTI: What Steven Pearl Said About Returning To Alma Mater Tennessee As Auburn Head Coach
How to Watch — Tennessee (14-6, 4-3 SEC) vs Auburn (14-7, 5-3 SEC)
- Start Time: 8:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. CT
- Location: Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center
- Watch: ESPN. PxP: Dave Neal, CC: Dane Bradshaw
- Online Streaming: WatchESPN
- Radio (Knoxville): The Vol Network/The Vol Network App
- Vol Network radio crew: PxP: Mike Keith, CC: Chris Lofton
Betting Odds
- Tennessee -5.5 Auburn
- Over/under 148.5
- Tennessee -6
- Over/under 150
Probable Starters
Tennessee (via UT Game Notes):
Auburn (via AU Game Notes):
What Tennessee HC Rick Barnes Said About The Tigers
On what stands out about this season’s Auburn team
“Well, I think, again, Steven has done a really good job. I think that they continue to get better all year, which that’s what you’re looking for. And (they’re) playing with confidence. And he does, again, a terrific job of getting his guys where he wants them to be. And they’re doing a lot of really good things.”
On similarities and differences between Bruce Pearl’s Auburn teams and Steven Pearl’s first Auburn team
“Well, I mean, obviously, Steven was with Bruce for a long time, and had a chance to be a huge part of all their success. And I think that he has still stuck to some of the things they’ve done, but yet he’s put his own touch to it too, which I’m sure his dad is proud of. And they’ve just continued to get better. And I think if you go back and look at all of Bruce’s teams too, they did that. They got better as the year went on. And when I watched from Auburn, they’ve done the same thing.”
On some of the ‘different touches’ Steven Pearl has put on this Auburn team
“It is a different voice in the locker room every day even though I am sure he was a big part of the past with it. But now it is his voice and his culture — I am sure they had the culture, but it is his now. I am sure just like I don’t think all of my coaches would every totally agree with everything I do or think. You get to a point and the biggest thing is once you slide over to that next chair it becomes yours and I think he has done a great job with it.”
Where They Land In The Rankings
Tennessee:
- AP Poll: NR
- Coaches Poll: NR
- KenPom: No. 21
- Bart Torvik: No. 19
- EvanMiya: No. 21
Auburn:
- AP Poll: NR
- Coaches Poll: NR
- KenPom: No. 26
- Bart Torvik: No. 29
- EvanMiya: No. 28
Team Stats (via KenPom)
Tennessee:
Auburn:
Stat Leaders
Tennessee:
Points: Ja’Kobi Gillespie — 19 PPG, 42.1 FG%, 35.2 3PT%
Rebounds: Nate Ament — 6.4 RPG, 4.8 DRPG, 1.6 ORPG
Assists: Ja’Kobi Gillespie — 5.6 APG, 2.6 TOPG, 33.8 MPG
Auburn:
Points: Keyshawn Hall — 20.9 PPG, 47.9 FG%, 41.9 3PT%
Rebounds: Keyshawn Hall — 7.4 RPG, 5.1 DRPG, 2.3 ORPG
Assists: Tahaad Pettiford — 3.1 APG, 2.2 TOPG, 31.1 MPG
Last Five Games
Tennessee:
- 86-85 win at Georgia (OT)
- 78-73 win at Alabama
- 80-78 loss versus Kentucky
- 87-82 win versus Texas A&M (2OT)
- 91-67 loss at Florida
Auburn:
- 88-82 win versus Texas
- 76-67 win at Florida
- 78-66 win at Ole Miss
- 71-67 win versus South Carolina
- 84-74 loss at Missouri
Prediction
Auburn enters this matchup having found its groove really for the first time all season. It feels like Tennessee has also done a lot of growing up in the last week with two tight road wins. Something’s got to give on Saturday.
This Tiger team is not like their last handful of teams under Bruce Pearl where the defense was really good and the offense was a bit up-and-down. This Auburn team has a great offense and a defense that sometimes shows up and sometimes doesn’t.
Can Tennessee take advantage of a shaky Auburn defense with a strong first shot offense? Can they limit Keyshawn Hall and make someone else beat them? The rest of Auburn’s roster has been pretty inconsistent. These are the big questions to me.
Tennessee 78, Auburn 69
