Tennessee vs Auburn: 2021-22 SEC Basketball game preview, TV schedule

2021-22 SEC Basketball Game Preview: No. 17 Tennessee vs No. 3 Auburn

When: Saturday, February 26 at 4:00 pm ET on ESPN

Location: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, TN

With the 2021-22 SEC Basketball regular season drawing to a close, Auburn enters Saturday holding a slim lead over Kentucky in the SEC standings. Closing in on an SEC regular season title, the Tigers however face arguably their toughest test remaining with a trip to Tennessee.

One of the hottest teams in the SEC, Tennessee has won six of their last seven games, a stretch that includes a dominant 80-61 win at Missouri on Tuesday night. Shooting an impressive 9-for-18 from three-point range, the Volunteers led for a majority of the contest, while also receiving 23/8/6 from freshman guard Kennedy Chandler.

Ranked as the No. 17 team in the country, the Volunteers are currently tied for third in the SEC with Arkansas at 11-4 (2 GB of Auburn), as well as owning a 20-7 record for the year. One of the best defensive teams in all of college basketball, the Volunteers allow only 62.8 PPG to opponents, while also a very-efficient offensive team averaging 73.7 PPG.

Led by the backcourt trio of Chandler, Santiago Vescovi, and Zakai Zeigler, each of Tennessee’s guards are strong three-point shooters, as well as reserve Justin Powell who transferred to Knoxville from Auburn in the offseason. The play of Tennessee’s frontcourt will be key against the Tigers, meaning John Fulkerson, Josiah-Jordan James, Uros Plavsic, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield will all likely see extensive time.

Auburn on the other hand has lost two of their last five games after starting SEC Basketball play 10-0, but did post an impressive performance in a 77-64 win over Ole Miss on Wednesday night. Similar to Tennessee previously, the Tigers led for a majority of their most-recent contest, shooting an impressive 45.8% from the field and 36% from three.

Sitting atop the SEC at 13-2, Auburn is currently ranked as the No. 3 team in the country, and owns a 25-3 overall record for the year. A top 20 team nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency according to KenPom, the Tigers average a combined 79.7 PPG offensively, as well as allowing only 66.9 PPG to opponents.

The Tigers own one of the top frontcourt duos in the entire country in star freshman Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler (leads country with 4.7 BPG), as well as an impactful rotation of depth at the position that includes Jaylin Williams and Dylan Cardwell. Wendell Green Jr and KD Johnson both average 12 PPG, while other guards such as Allen Flanigan, Devan Cambridge, and Zep Jasper all play key roles.

A matchup between two elite defensive teams, this game will likely be close throughout, as well as potentially low-scoring. As for the matchup to watch, it undoubtedly comes in the frontcourt with Tennessee trying to contain Smith and Kessler, but this is also a matchup between teams with multiple exciting guards.

When making a prediction, this game you could honestly argue is a toss-up, and is a very-important game for both teams for obvious reasons. An Auburn road win would be massive for the Tigers and their SEC regular season title chances, but I’ll say that Tennessee picks up a very-close win to make the SEC Basketball regular season title picture very-interesting.

Prediction: Tennessee 68, Auburn 65