It’s a big weekend for Auburn Men’s Basketball as the top-ranked Tigers face the Tennessee Volunteers in a top-ten matchup in Neville Arena. It’s a huge game as both teams look to pick up a Quad 1 victory to improve their resumé for the NCAA Tournament.
Auburn comes into this weekend off three victories against Mississippi State, South Carolina. and Georgia. The Tigers had to dig deep in those games, especially at Georgia where the Bulldogs missed a game-tying shot at the buzzer.
“It’s tough to win on the road,” head coach Bruce Pearl said. “It’s a great road win. There are a lot of things to learn from. We missed some free throws late which we haven’t done. Georgia’s going to beat almost everybody who comes in here. Proud of our ballclub.”
The Tigers are also doing it without star Johni Broome who rolled his ankle in the first half of the South Carolina game. Broome is currently “being evaluated this week” according to Pearl. Broome has missed two games, but hopes to get out on the court again by this weekend, but only if he’s ready.
Freshman Tahaad Pettiford has stepped up in a big way. He’s now scored ten or more more points in every SEC game so far including at Georgia where he put up a season high 24 points. Pettiford earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors as well.
Tennessee comes into this game off a win over fourteenth ranked Mississippi State on Tuesday. The Volunteers did lose over the weekend to Vanderbilt. The Volunteers are winless away from home including an embarrassing loss to 5th-ranked Florida where they only made twelve shots the entire game.
ESPN’s College Gameday is coming to town this week for their first show of the 2025 season. This is the fifth straight season Auburn has hosted the show, the most of any school in the country. The line for students begins at 6:30 a.m. with the doors opening at 7:00 a.m. SportsCenter will do live shots at the arena until 10:00 a.m. when College Gameday begins. There will be general admission seating for the show from 10:00 – 11:00am. Tip-off for the game is at 7:30 P.M. CT with coverage on ESPN.
Auburn’s next opponent will be a trip to LSU on Wednesday. The Bayou Bengals have only managed one SEC win this year against Arkansas. Auburn will be a heavy favorite, but they cannot underestimate any team in the league. Tip-off for that game is at 6:00 P.M. CT with coverage on SEC Network.
