Not only is Saturday’s match-up between Tennessee and Auburn the regular season finale, but it’s also Senior Day for two Vol players.
The Vols (17-13, 9-8 SEC) will look to end the regular season on a three-game winning streak when they host No. 17 Auburn (24-6, 11-6) for an early tip-off on Saturday. The game will be the last one in Thompson-Boling Arena for senior guard Jordan Bowden, and Lamonte Turner will also be honored before the game. Turner is a redshirt senior who underwent season-ending surgery in December on his shoulder, ending his UT career early.
Tennessee will look to send Bowden and Turner out in a memorable way as they take on the Tigers. The Vols enter Saturday’s game having won two-straight contests as underdogs, hanging on to defeat Florida at home last Saturday and upsetting No. 6 Kentucky in Rupp Arena on Tuesday. Auburn, meanwhile, has lost two-straight games, including their first home loss of the season on Wednesday against Texas A&M.
While the Vols have won 11 of their last 16 games against Auburn and are 48-8 against the Tigers in Knoxville, Auburn has gotten the best of Tennessee as of late.
Former Vol head coach Bruce Pearl has led the Tigers to four-straight wins over Tennessee, and Pearl is now 5-4 against his former school. The last time the Vols played Auburn, UT held a 17-point lead in the second half only to see that lead completely disappear and result in a 73-66 loss on The Plains.
This time, though, Tennessee is the home team, and Auburn has been far from invincible away from their home court.
The Vols are 11-5 in Thompson-Boling Arena this season, and Auburn is just 4-5 in true road games. Tennessee is holding teams to just 58.1 points a game in their 16 home contests while Auburn is averaging just 68.5 points a game on the road this season.
If Tennessee beats Auburn, they stand a chance at moving up to the seven-seed in the SEC Tournament if Texas A&M loses to Arkansas later in the day. If the Vols lose to Auburn, they’re locked in to the eight-seed for the tournament.
Take a look at everything you need to know for Saturday’s match-up. If you can’t make it to the game, here’s how you can watch or listen to the Tennessee vs. Auburn regular season finale.
Tip-Off: Noon Eastern, March 6th, Thompson-Boling Arena (Knoxville, TN)
TV: ESPN2 (Mike Morgan and Jimmy Dykes)
Streaming Online: ESPN.com/watch or the ESPN app
Radio: Vol Network
Line: Tennessee (-2.5)
