No. 6 Tennessee (17-2, 4-2 SEC) faces No. 1 Auburn (17-1, 5-0 SEC) after Chaz Lanier scored 23 points in Tennessee’s 68-56 win against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
The Tigers have gone 8-0 at home. Auburn is ninth in college basketball with 85.7 points and is shooting 50.2% from the field.
The Volunteers have gone 4-2 against SEC opponents. Tennessee has a 15-1 record in games decided by at least 10 points.
Auburn makes 50.2% of its shots from the field this season, which is 13.9 percentage points higher than Tennessee has allowed to its opponents (36.3%). Tennessee scores 10.3 more points per game (76.4) than Auburn gives up (66.1).
The matchup Saturday is the first meeting this season for the two teams in conference play.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Johni Broome is averaging 17.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.7 blocks for the Tigers. Broome has an ankle injury and is questionable for the game, although he may warm up. Chad Baker-Mazara is averaging 13.1 points over the last 10 games.
Igor Milicic Jr. is averaging 10.3 points and 8.4 rebounds for the Volunteers. Lanier is averaging 17.7 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES:
Tigers: 10-0, averaging 85.8 points, 35.4 rebounds, 16.7 assists, 7.8 steals and 8.2 blocks per game while shooting 49.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 64.0 points per game.
Volunteers: 8-2, averaging 70.9 points, 35.4 rebounds, 14.8 assists, 7.8 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 40.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 59.9 points.
Tipoff is at 7:30PM CST on ESPN.
(Copyright 2024 The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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