AUBURN, Ala. – Coming off back-to-back losses, the road doesn't get any easier for No. 17 Auburn this weekend with a trip to Tennessee to wrap up the regular season Saturday.
The Tigers beat Tennessee in the first meeting at Auburn Arena last month but had to come back from 17 down in the second half to do it. Since that loss, the Volunteers have won two of three with back-to-back victories at home against Florida and on the road at Kentucky.
"We turned them over 24 times that (first) game, which was incredible," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "We did an unbelievable job on [John] Fulkerson, but [Jordan] Bowden had 28 against us. They outrebounded us. They were the more physical team. That's probably the biggest thing I'm worried about – their physicality and their athleticism."
Led by Samir Doughty's 22-point effort, all nine players who saw action against the Vols scored in the first meeting. However, Auburn was without the services of star freshman Isaac Okoro who was sitting out with a hamstring injury. Okoro, who had 15 points against Texas A&M on Wednesday, is expected to be in the starting lineup for Saturday's game in Knoxville.
"Before the injury, I was hitting my peak," Okoro said. "It was a little setback for me, but now I'm getting back in my groove. I'm getting some flashes of what I was doing before my injury. That's a good sign."
The Tigers (24-6, 11-6) have already clinched a top-four seed in next week's SEC Tournament but can climb as high as No. 2 or No. 3 in the final standings with a win Saturday.
The game is scheduled to tip off at 11 a.m. CT from Thompson-Boling Arena. Andy Burcham and Sonny Smith will have the radio call on 93.9 Tiger FM, online at AuburnTigers.com and on the TuneIn app. The game will also be televised on ESPN2 with Mike Morgan and Jimmy Dykes on the call.
Player to watch: Samir Doughty
Going from a secondary option to being the team leader, Samir Doughty has taken ownership of his new role in his final season. The senior has elevated his play to a team-high 16.2 points per game on the campaign, which includes 18.8 points per contest over the last 12 games. Doughty has 10 20-point games in 2019-20 after entering the season with just two in 75 career games.
Inside the series: Tennessee
When the Tigers and Vols square off Saturday, it will be the 121st meeting in series history. Tennessee holds a 78-42 advantage in the all-time series, including a 47-8 mark in Knoxville, but Auburn has won the last four contests. It's only the second four-game winning streak in the series (1997-99) for the Tigers who have never won five straight against the Vols.
Auburn won the last matchup at Thompson-Boling Arena in 2018 to begin SEC play during its run to a league title. That win snapped a 10-game losing streak for the Tigers in Knoxville. With a win Saturday, Auburn can make it two in a row at Tennessee for the first time in program history.
Head coach Bruce Pearl led Tennessee to a 145-61 record in six seasons between 2005-11, which included five NCAA Tournament berths and a conference title in 2008. Pearl set the Vols' single-season wins record with 31 in 2007-08, which was matched by the 2018-19 team.
Since taking over as head coach at Auburn, Pearl is 5-4 against Tennessee.
Pearl up for Coach of the Year
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl was named a semifinalist for the 2020 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's Coach of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Friday.
Pearl is one of 10 candidates remaining for the annual award, joining John Calipari (Kentucky), Patrick Chambers (Penn State), Scott Drew (Baylor), Brian Dutcher (San Diego State), Mark Few (Gonzaga), Anthony Grant (Dayton), Leonard Hamilton (Florida State), Greg McDermott (Creighton) and Mark Pope (BYU).