AUBURN, Ala. - Trending upward with three straight SEC victories and five wins in six games, the Tigers look to continue their surge Saturday when No. 5 Tennessee visits Auburn Arena.
"Just when you didn't think it can get any tougher, it gets tougher," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said.
With an Auburn win against the Vols and a home loss by South Carolina to Georgia Saturday, the Tigers (21-9, 10-7) would clinch the No. 4 seed at the SEC Tournament, securing a double bye.
"For us, the opportunity in the SEC standings, get a better seed for the tournaments and put ourselves in a better position to win," Pearl said. "The key to winning is getting a great seed. We have an opportunity to improve our seeding by beating a top-five team."
Tennessee (27-3, 15-2), says Pearl, provides an extreme challenge.
"It's probably the toughest matchup for us of the three top teams because of the way they defend, because of their physicality, because of the matchups," he said. "They've got some great players. Grant Williams is a National Player of the Year semifinalist."
Before the game tips at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN and the Auburn Sports Network, Auburn will honor seniors Bryce Brown, Horace Spencer, Malik Dunbar and Cole Blackstock.
"It's a great group," Pearl said. "It'll be great for us to recognize their accomplishments on and off the court."
Brown and Spencer signed with Auburn before the Tigers were making back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and winning an SEC championship.
"With [Coach Pearl's] passion for the game, combined with mine and my teammates' passion for the game, it's just helped us get to where we are now," Brown said.
"I've seen a lot of us grow as people. Not just on the court, but off the court as well. That's what it's all about I feel like. It's not just about getting better on the court, but getting better off the court, as well, and maturing and growing in that aspect."
Player(s) to watch: The senior class
In their final home game inside Auburn Arena, the senior class is looking to go out in style. The 2019 class is made up of Cole Blackstock, Bryce Brown, Malik Dunbar and Horace Spencer. The class has amassed 76 wins, which stands as the sixth-most in program history. The last time the Tigers defeated a top-5 team was 1995 against No. 5 Arkansas.
Inside the series: Tennessee
This is the 118th meeting all-time between Auburn and Tennessee with the Volunteers holding a 78-39 advantage. The Tigers won the last game between the two teams 94-84 in Knoxville to open SEC play last season as the two teams went on to split the SEC regular-season title, the third in Auburn history (1960, 1999, 2018).
The Tigers lead the series 27-24 in Auburn, but Tennessee holds a 4-1 record at Auburn Arena since the facility opened for the 2010-11 season. Prior to 2011, Auburn had won 13 of the last 16 at home in the series.
Closing time
Auburn's last three games, all wins, have been decided by six points or less. The Tigers won 78-75 at Georgia on Feb. 27, defeated Mississippi State 80-75 on March 2 and won 66-60 at Alabama on Tuesday. Auburn was 2-5 in games decided by six points or less on the season until its current three-game winning streak. The last time the Tigers won three straight games, all by six points or less, was last year when they knocked off UAB 85-80 on Dec. 9, Middle Tennessee 76-70 at the BJCC on Dec. 16 and won 81-77 at Murray State on Dec. 19.
Largest comeback of the season
Auburn defeated Alabama 66-60 after overcoming a 13-point deficit (29-16; 5:23 1H) on Tuesday for its largest comeback of the season. The Tigers' previous largest come-from-behind victory was a seven-point comeback against UAB on Dec. 15 when they won 75-71 in overtime after trailing 45-38 with 11:56 remaining.
It was also the Tigers' first win of the season in eight games trailing at halftime.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer.