Auburn’s Steven Pearl Previews Key Tennessee Matchup

Tennessee is a team that has been able to keep Auburn at bay in the past, and Pearl is aiming to change that

Pearl knows what it'll take to pick up another SEC win | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers are on something of a hot streak entering this weekend, as they’ve won all four of their latest SEC games, including a win against No. 16 Florida. They also managed a massive comeback win against the Texas Longhorns just days ago, but they’re set for what could be one of their biggest tests yet: the Tennessee Volunteers.

“While Florida was a battle, Tennessee is gonna be that, and then some,” Auburn head coach Steven Pearl said on Friday.

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The Vols, though currently unranked, are absolutely no slouch when it comes to competitiveness, and they’re on a hot streak of their own. Led by standout guard Ja’Kobi Gillespe and true freshman forward Nate Ament, who split SEC Player of the Week honors with Keyshawn Hall this past week, Tennessee projects to be a massive challenge for any team that steps into Knoxville.

“Tennessee's obviously really good at home and really good in general,” Pearl said. “They're coming off two huge wins, both on the road at Alabama and at Georgia... It kinda changed the trajectory of their season. They physically went in there and punked both teams.”

Scoring is always a challenge against top-level teams, but Tennessee has proven to be one of the best defensive teams in the country. They’re allowing just over 69 points per game on average, compared to the Tigers’ 77.7. Last year’s Final Four roster went 1-1 against the Vols, with a 53-51 win in January and a 70-65 loss in the SEC tournament.

“We historically haven't scored much on Tennessee,” Pearl admitted on Friday. “I told our guys, 'If you want to do something last year's team couldn't, score more than like 55 against them.'” 

Perhaps the aspect that Tennessee has become best known for in this season, though, is offensive rebounding. Tennessee is averaging 13.8 offensive rebounds per game, second in the country, only falling short of Florida’s 14.9. For comparison, the Tigers average 11.3 offensive rebounds per game, good for 29th in the country.

Even when out-rebounded offensively, like they were against Florida, the Tigers have still shown an innate ability to win games when it counts, especially at this point in the season. They’ve been subject to several heartbreakers, though, so it’ll all come down to who wants it more on Saturday.

Tennessee has won all of the two teams’ last three matchups in Knoxville, so the Tigers will have work to do if they’re looking to snap that streak and continue a winning streak of their own. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST, and it’ll be broadcast on ESPN.