No. 6 Tennessee basketball will meet No. 1 Auburn in a top-10 matchup live on ESPN at Neville Arena in the season’s first College GameDay. Read more for a full Tennessee vs Auburn prediction and preview.
No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers is gearing up for its third consecutive Saturday SEC road contest, as it travels into the “The Jungle” for a battle against the nation’s top-ranked team, Auburn Tigers.
The Volunteers and Tigers last met on Feb. 28, 2024, at Knoxville, with the Vols winning 92-84.
Head coach Rick Barnes’ and Bruce Pearl’s squad have controlled the No. 1 spot for seven consecutive weeks. The Tigers have been top-ranked the past two weeks and the Vols were for five consecutive weeks before that.
According to KenPom, Tennessee ranks 3rd in defensive efficiency rating. The Volunteers also boast the most efficient 3-point defense in the country, allowing opponents to make only 25.9% of their tries.
Auburn brings in the SEC’s best three-point shooting attack. The Tigers shoot 37.9% from three and have made 168 3-pointers, which explains why they are ranked first nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency. The Tigers have four players who have made at least 28 3-pointers, with all four shooting better than 39.4%.
“We believe in our team’s defense,” said Vols coach Rick Barnes on Friday. “But that’s why Auburn’s so good. They shoot the ball as well as anybody in the country. It takes a lot of focus, takes a lot of discipline and to make sure you stay locked in throughout the possession.”
Saturday’s battle will be determined by whose team’s strengths outweigh the other’s.
General Information:
Teams: No. 6 Tennessee (17-2, 4-2) and Auburn (17-1, 5-0)
Tip-Off: 8:30 p.m. EST
Watch: ESPN
Latest on Auburn basketball:
The biggest test of Auburn basketball’s SEC schedule will come this weekend when they face their fourth top-10 opponent of the season and the first top-10 showdown in Neville Arena history.
The Tigers have already beaten Houston, Iowa State, and Purdue, but facing the Volunteers could be their most difficult game yet.
The current status of John Broome is the most important narrative leading into the game. The Wooden Award finalist has missed back-to-back games due to an ankle injury, but head coach Bruce Pearl says Broome might return to practice by the end of the week.
“We’ll practice this afternoon, and there’s a possibility he’ll try and practice,” former Tennessee coach and current Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl Pearl said Thursday. “But we’re not sure. I’ll know more tomorrow and Saturday, so I don’t know whether he’s questionable or possible, but I do know he’s going to try to move around a little bit today. We’ll just have to see how he does.”
According to Jeff Goodman and The Field of 68, Auburn’s standout forward is expected to be a game-time decision before the Tigers face Tennessee on Saturday.
Auburn has demonstrated that it can compete without Broome, securing a pair of ranked wins over Mississippi State and Georgia. Without Broome in the lineup, the Tigers have not shown indications of regression, thanks to a deep roster that includes five other players averaging double-digit scoring.
Chaney Johnson received extra minutes as a result of Broome’s injury, and he capitalized with a 17-point performance in a blowout victory over Mississippi State.
Auburn’s freshman Tahaad Pettiford has changed the course of games, and defeating the Volunteers will require another strong performance. Pettiford averages 12 points on 45/44/85 shooting and had a season-high 24 points in Auburn’s last game.
Rick Barnes praised the outstanding freshman’s performance, saying, “High level, high level. Guy that can score the ball. Guy that, if you give him much room, he gets going. And he’s just a high-level, highly talented player.”
Senior guard Chad Baker-Mazara has also maintained his strong performance this season, averaging 16.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in Broome’s absence.
The Tigers will need to be firing on all cylinders to overcome a stout Volunteer defense, especially if Johni Broome does not suit up.
Latest on Tennessee basketball:
The Tennessee Volunteers look for a staple road win Saturday night in their toughest matchup yet.
Rick Barnes’ crew has struggled on the road in conference play this season, currently sitting at 1-2. Its two losses include a heartbreaking 76-75 setback to Vanderbilt last Saturday and a historic 73-43 loss to No. 5 Florida on Jan. 7.
In its most recent outing against No. 14 Mississippi State, Tennessee returned to form in a presiding 68-56 win.
The victory saw talented guard Chaz Lanier find his shooting stroke again.
The 6’4″ transfer rebounded against Vanderbilt, scoring a team-high 17 points on 45% shooting overall and 67% from outside the arc.
He took the momentum from the team’s defeat in Nashville into the game against Mississippi State.
Lanier immediately energized Tennessee’s offense against the Bulldogs, starting the game with a triple and adding another two possessions later to give the Volunteers an 8-0 lead before Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans called a timeout.
The Volunteers’ leading scorer finished the night with a game-high 23 points on 8-of-17 (47%) shooting from the floor, 5-of-12 (42%) shooting from three, and 2-2 (100%) from the stripe.
Rick Barnes and Lanier’s teammates must continue to get Lanier going offensively if they want to win crucial games in the nation’s most difficult conference.
Zakai Zeigler finished nine points, seven assists, and an outstanding five steals. Felix Okpara totaled nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while also making his second three-pointer of his career. Jahmai Mashack and Jordan Gainey both added 10 points.
Tennessee’s preparation for No. 1 Auburn will remain the same, regardless of whether Johni Broome is healthy. He leads Auburn in points (17.9), rebounds (10.7), assists (3.2), and minutes (27.4), shooting 54.7% from the field.
“Not really. We prepare the same,” head coach Rick Barnes said Friday. ‘…because it’s no different going into a game when you might prepare for somebody to get in foul trouble, they’re gone, you got to be ready for who comes in behind them. And so you go about it the same way.”
The Volunteers will strive to open eyes and defeat the top-ranked team in the country in a tough road matchup.
Tennessee vs Auburn prediction: Tigers by 6 (71-65)
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