AUBURN, Ala. – March is almost here. No. 3 Auburn currently has a one-game lead in the SEC standings with three games left in the regular season, and then it's on to the postseason where it's survive and advance in both the SEC and NCAA Tournaments.
From here on out, every game matters.
Next Game:
Tennessee
Feb. 26, 2022
3 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
While the NCAA Tournament itself doesn't start for a few more weeks, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl believes Saturday's game at No. 17 Tennessee will be one of, if not the hardest game the Tigers play the rest of the year. He equated it to winning a Final Four game.
"They play as hard and as physically as anybody in our league," Pearl said. "So, it will be a great challenge for us. A championship-caliber game."
Like Auburn, the Volunteers have yet to lose at home this season. And at 11-4 in the SEC, they currently sit two games back of Auburn in the league standings.
"Playing Tennessee on the road would be the biggest NET gainer, if you could get it, of any game we've played all year long," added Pearl. "We've got some great wins, but because of how tough they are at home, how well they shoot the ball at home, how well they share the ball at home – we're absolutely going to have our best afternoon of the year."
"We've seen Final Four-caliber Tennessee teams before, and this is certainly one of them."
One of those Tennessee teams capable of making a Final Four run was the 2018-19 team, and Auburn beat them twice that year – once at home and again in the SEC Tournament final. In fact, the Tigers have won six straight in the series, including two in a row in Knoxville.
Saturday's game might be the toughest challenge yet against the Vols in recent years and could serve as a springboard for Auburn into March Madness. The same goes for next week's road trip to Mississippi State, which Pearl equated to a Sweet 16 game.
"You want to be playing against great teams at the end of the year because it's a great barometer for where you are," Pearl said.
Auburn and Tennessee will tip off at 3 p.m. CT from Thompson Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee. Andy Burcham and Sonny Smith will have the radio call on 93.9 Tiger FM and online at AuburnTigers.com, and the game will also be televised on ESPN with Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes and Kris Budden on the call.
PLAYER TO WATCH: WENDELL GREEN JR.
Wendell Green Jr., a Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Watch List member, has proven to be one of the nation's top bench players. He is No. 1 in the country with 122 assists off the bench and is ninth in points off the bench with 277. Auburn's second leading scorer (12.5 ppg), Green is third in the SEC in assists (5.0 apg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2). He had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in Wednesday's victory over Ole Miss.
INSIDE THE SERIES: TENNESSEE
Tennessee leads the series with Auburn, 77-44, including a 47-9 advantage in Knoxville. However, the Tigers have won six consecutive games in the series – their longest winning streak all-time against Tennessee – including a 77-72 victory over the No. 25 Volunteers in Auburn Arena last year where Allen Flanigan scored a team-high 23 points.
Bruce Pearl is 7-4 lifetime (all at AU) versus his former school, including a 2-2 mark in games played in Knoxville. Pearl joins Joel Eaves (1951, '61) and Bill Lynn (1968, '70) as the only Auburn coaches with two wins in Knoxville.
Saturday will be the first time in 22 years that the Tigers and Vols meet inside Thompson-Boling Arena as ranked opponents (Jan. 25, 2000; No. 11 Tennessee 105, No. 7 Auburn 76).
ELITE COMPANY
Auburn has recorded four 25-win campaigns over the last five years – currently one of only two schools along with No. 1 Gonzaga (on pace to 5 of 5) to lay claim to that feat. Belmont (24), Duke (24), Houston (23), Kansas (23), Kentucky (23), New Mexico State (23), Vermont (23) and Villanova (21) are knocking on the door to join the club.
Auburn's 25 wins are tied for the fourth-most wins in the program's single-season history. Its next win will equal the third most set four seasons ago (2017-18).