A current No. 1 team hosts a former No. 1 Saturday night, with Tennessee coming in as road underdogs against scintillant Auburn. In terms of national intrigue and heft, this SEC showdown looks like college basketball’s biggest game of the weekend.
How to watch No. 6 Tennessee at No. 1 Auburn
The Tigers are really, really good. They’ve remained perfect in the SEC without superstar big man Johni Broome, who’s been sidelined by an ankle sprain. But their last outing looked a bit taxing, shooting below 40 percent against Georgia. The conference gauntlet really starts here: This is Auburn’s first meeting with any of the SEC’s four top-10 teams.
Broome is a game-time decision for Saturday. Bruce Pearl’s group leads Division I in offensive rating despite having the third-hardest strength of schedule, per Basketball Reference. Even sans Broome, five Tigers are averaging double-figure scoring. It’s almost February, and they still have more makes than misses this season.
Tahaad Pettiford salvaged the Georgia win with a galvanizing 24 points off the bench. Chad Baker-Mazara was a smooth 8-for-11 against Mississippi State. Miles Kelly paced them in South Carolina. It’s been rewarding to watch different players step up on a given night.
MK from the logo😳 pic.twitter.com/cgnvzmarVX
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) January 18, 2025
Tennessee should be an adroit test for the No. 1 team. The Vols responded to their disquieting one-point loss at Vanderbilt by thoroughly beating formidable Mississippi State. Rick Barnes’ defense looks almost as dominant as Auburn’s offense — third in points allowed per game, second in defensive rating, opponents absolutely last in 3-point percentage. They block shots and don’t foul. Chaz Lanier can warp momentum when he’s feeling it behind the arc. And Jordan Gainey has at least 10 points off the bench in three of his last four outings.
The orange and white lead this all-time series, 81-45. Both programs were ranked in last year’s meeting, with No. 5 Tennessee beating No. 18 Auburn, 92-84. The Volunteers have won three of the past four head-to-head, while Auburn took six straight from 2018-21.
The Athletic’s CJ Moore on Tahaad Pettiford:
“Pettiford is a lefty, but I’ve noticed that he’s shot a few of these floaters with his right hand, so I went back to watch Pettiford’s 12 shots this season that Synergy deems a “runner,” and he’s shot all 12 with his right hand! And after missing three of his first four to start the year, he’s made 6 of 8, and one of the misses immediately followed the one above when he tried to float it over Georgia’s star freshman Asa Newell and had it blocked. Against most lefties, it’s a win to make them move to their right; not Pettiford. Not only is he great knocking down those righty floaters, he’s also dangerous going to his right on stepback 3s.”
On Tennessee’s rebounding woes:
“In Tennessee’s four worst defensive games this season, the Vols have allowed their opponents to get back 41.4 percent of their misses. Over the course of an entire season, that would rank dead last in college hoops. Florida and Vanderbilt, the two teams that have beaten the Vols, account for two of those four defensive rebounding no-shows.”
Tennessee vs. Auburn odds
Odds to come
(Photo of Tahaad Pettiford: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
