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By Brant Daughtry


This bye week really couldn’t have come at a better time. Auburn’s played a lot of basketball recently, and with the extra time to get Broome back, Auburn’s early bye was lucky in some ways. Hopefully, that extra rest does the team good. I don’t have much to say about the Georgia game. Yes, there was a bit of a collapse at the end. Credit to Georgia for making that happen. All in all though, you went on the road and got a win over a ranked team without Johni Broome. It’s tough to complain about that.

Tennessee is coached by Rick Barnes, one of the best coaches in the conference and a really good friend of Bruce Pearl. This is his 10th season as the head man in Knoxville, and he’s continued to build that program into one of the best in college basketball. He’s won multiple SEC Championships, Coach of the Year awards, and high seeds in March Madness. The only thing missing from his resume is more Tournament success, which has mostly eluded him to this point. In SEC play though, they’re a constant threat.

This season is no different. The Volunteers are 17-2 overall and 4-2 in conference play. They’re fourth in NET and are trying to make a run for one of the top seeds in the tournament. In conference play, they’ve been a little shakier though. They got stomped by Florida a few weeks ago and lost a head scratcher to Vanderbilt. They did beat Mississippi State earlier this week though, so they can hang with some of the top teams this league has to offer.

As with all college basketball games, home court advantage will be a big story in this one. Tennessee’s two losses have come in away games, where shooting failed them. This defense though, is legit, and it will be legit regardless of where they play. This is a rock fight team, and Auburn will have to work harder than usual to get its looks.

Players to Watch For:

Guard Zakai Zeigler, #5- Zeigler isn’t the lead scorer for Tennessee, but don’t let that fool you. He’s the leader on this team, and he has been for a while. He’s averaging double digits in conference play, but his biggest contributions come on defense. He’s a lockdown perimeter defender, and gets his fair share of steals. His biggest offensive contributions come in his passing. He’s averaging almost seven assists per game.

Guard Chaz Lanier, #2- Lanier is the scorer on this team, the closest thing they could get to a Dalton Knecht replacement. He and Ziegler both average over 30 minutes, and his scoring is almost 16 points a game in the conference. He’s 6-5 as well, so he’s got great size for his position. If Tennessee manages to knock off Auburn in Neville, it’ll be because he gets hot.


Bruce Pearl has said it before, and I’ll reiterate. Auburn is going to lose a game at some point. Will it be to this Tennessee team though? I’m not sure. They’re certainly good enough, but I’m not sure the matchup bodes well. Tennessee is very guard-dominant, Zeigler and Lanier make everything happen for them offensively. While I’m sure those two will get theirs, Auburn has done an outstanding job of limiting scoring guards this season. Denver Jones, Miles Kelly, and Chad Baker-Mazara have been outstanding in that role.

In their front court, there’s nothing that looks exceptionally threatening, especially if Johni Broome is able to go. At the time of this writing, it’s not known if he will or not, but Bruce Pearl has said they’ll let him test it out in practice. All that to say, knock on wood, this is a matchup that looks favorable for Auburn. As always, it’s basketball, so weird things can happen. Igor Miličić and Felix Okpara are, in theory, able to go off. But they also feel like guys Auburn can hold down. the toughest ask will be guarding the back court, which Auburn has excelled at this year.

There are other factors at play here. For one, it’s at Neville Arena, where Auburn has been nearly unbeatable for the last several years. It’s a Saturday night game as well, so the crowd will be impressive.

Another thing I find interesting is the level of rotation that Tennessee uses. Or rather, they DON’T use. In conference play, only six guys play serious minutes, and only eight have seen the floor. While this Auburn team doesn’t run as much as prior Bruce Pearl teams, they can still wear out a rotation this thin, especially in the front court.

Nothing is guaranteed, but I feel like Auburn should have a level of confidence coming into Saturday. Hopefully, they continue to hold serve at home.

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