On Thursday, Tennessee basketball and Auburn will meet in Nashville in the second round of the SEC Tournament. This marks a rematch of the programs’ bout earlier in the season, which saw the Vols win 77-69 in Knoxville.
Tigers first-year head coach Steven Pearl knows it wasn’t a winning formula for his team the first time. After Auburn beat Mississippi State to advance to play the Vols on Wednesday, he gave his thoughts on getting another crack at UT.
Pearl noted the physicality that his team didn’t respond to as the primary thing that needs to change.
“I mean, they punked us the first time,” Pearl said. “Offensive rebounds and duck-ins were the two areas they absolutely destroyed us. We fouled too much. They’re going to challenge your toughness, your manhood. You got to respond and answer the bell tomorrow because tomorrow’s going to be a fight.
“That’s what the game comes down to. They do such a good job using their physicality and big bodies to lean on you and wear you out during the game. Our guys have to step up to the challenge and understand they have to show a different level of toughness this time around to beat a really good Tennessee team.”
More From RTI: REPORT: Tennessee Basketball Star Nate Ament Expected to Play vs. Auburn in SEC Tournament
This will be an extremely important result for Auburn, as well. If the Tigers win, they’d be in a great position to steal one of the final at-large bids for the NCAA Tournament. If they lose, they may still make the field, but it’d be a stressful few days leading into Selection Sunday.
Tennessee seems to be getting a key piece back, though. According to a report on Thursday morning, Vols freshman forward Nate Ament is expected to play in some form. He has missed the past few weeks due to a leg injury suffered against Alabama on Feb. 28. Against Auburn earlier in the year, Ament dropped a game-high 22 points.
Tip-off for this edition of the rivalry is set for approximately 3 p.m. ET and will air on SEC Network. On top of the normal storylines of a critical SEC matchup, it also marks another game between Pearl and his former school. He was a player at Tennessee from 2007-11, under his father, Bruce Pearl.
More to follow: College Basketball Betting Sites
