Coming off a tough defensive performance in a 68-56 win over the No. 14 ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs, the brutal Tennessee Basketball schedule now just gets more brutal. The Vols are now set to hit the road for what could be their toughest game yet.
Tennessee, which is 17-2 and 4-2 in the SEC, heads south to take on the No. 1 ranked Auburn Tigers and their former head coach in Bruce Pearl. The Vols are ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll and No. 7 in the Coaches Poll, but they are also just 1-2 on the road in league play to this point.
Auburn, atop both polls, comes into this game at 17-1 and 5-0 in the SEC. They dominated MSU by over 20 just before UT beat them, and most recently, they scored another top 25 win by beating the Georgia Bulldogs on the road. However, that was last Saturday, and they come into this game with a week off. Here is all the information you need for the matchup.
Tennessee Volunteers at Auburn Tigers
When: Saturday, Jan. 25 at 8:30 p.m. ET
Where: Auburn, Ala.; Neville Arena
TV: ESPN
Live stream: WatchESPN
Radio: Vol Network (Click here for affiliates); Auburn Sports Radio (Click here for affiliates)
Listen online: UTSports; AuburnTigers.com
In recent years, this has become one of the most intense matchups in the SEC and not just because of the Pearl connection. This game determined the regular season league champion in 2018 and 2024 and the tournament champion in 2019. Losing also cost the team a regular season title in 2019 and 2024.
Auburn is in the midst of a 10-game winning streak, their only loss coming by six points on the road against the Duke Blue Devils in early December. The defending SEC Tournament champions appear to be on a mission after suffering an upset loss in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64 last year.
On the other side, Tennessee is a week removed from a heartbreaking one-point road loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores, which came three games after their 30-point blowout loss to the Florida Gators. They are 1-2 on the road in league play this year while the Tigers have yet to lose a home game.
After Saturday, things don’t get easier for either team, as Tennessee will host the No. 9 ranked Kentucky Wildcats the following Tuesday. Auburn, meanwhile, will visit the LSU Tigers Wednesday. LSU may be 1-4 in the SEC but is 12-6 overall, so as previously mentioned, there are no days off in the SEC.
