AUBURN, Ala. – Coming off a 94-73 win over Georgia the night before, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl opened his press conference Thursday doing something he doesn't normally do. He gave his team credit.
Next Game:
at Tennessee
Feb. 4, 2023
1 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
"To be tied for second place after the first nine is an accomplishment," Pearl said. "We all recognize that the back nine is three times as hard as the front nine. But still, to work as hard as we've worked and to put ourselves in the position we've put ourselves in is worth noting."
The Tigers, ranked No. 25 nationally, are 7-2 in SEC play at the midway point and tied for second in the conference with Tennessee and Texas A&M despite losing two first-round draft picks from the year before in Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler.
"I feel that we're in a good spot right now," senior Allen Flanigan said. "I feel like we've got a lot to work on to get where we want, but it's nothing we can't do."
However, as Pearl alluded to, the back half of Auburn's SEC schedule is much more difficult with six of the nine games coming against teams currently top five in the standings. And it won't get much tougher than Saturday's test – a road game at No. 2 Tennessee.
The Volunteers are the best defensive team in the country. They are second nationally in scoring margin (+18.5) and have a +27.8 margin at home this season.
"This will be by far the tallest task we've faced," Pearl said.
Sticking with the golf metaphor as his Auburn team begins the back nine of the SEC slate, Pearl said beating Tennessee would be "an absolute War Eagle."
The Tigers and the Volunteers will tip off at 1 p.m. CT from Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville. Andy Burcham and Brad Law 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 ESPN.
PLAYER TO WATCH: ALLEN FLANIGAN
In Wednesday's win over Georgia, Allen Flanigan had his best shooting performance of the season. The senior guard shot 8-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-5 from deep, and finished with a season-high 22 points. It was the first time Flanigan had 20 or more points since his sophomore year before his Achilles injury. He's now scored in double figures nine times this season and 36 times in his career. He currently ranks third on the team in scoring (11.3 ppg), second in rebounding (5.3 rpg) and second in steals (1.0 spg) in SEC play.
INSIDE THE SERIES: TENNESSEE
Tennessee leads 79-44 in the all-time series with Auburn and holds a 49-9 advantage against the Tigers on its home court. However, prior to Tennessee's 67-62 victory at home last year, Auburn had won six straight in the series. It was the longest win streak for the Tigers against Tennessee and stretched from Jan. 2, 2018 to Feb. 27, 2021.
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl is 7-5 against his former team and is 7-1 against the Volunteers when his Auburn team has scored 70 or more points.
NOTABLE
» Auburn and Tennessee are currently tied for second in the SEC standings with Texas A&M. This will be Auburn's second top-25 matchup of the season, having defeated then No. 13 Arkansas 72-59 at Neville Arena on Jan. 7.
» Auburn committed a season-low five turnovers and dished out 22 assists, tying a season high, in Wednesday's 94-73 victory over Georgia. Floor generals Wendell Green Jr. and Tre Donaldson combined to register an 11-to-2 assist-to-turnover ratio. Green is just four assists away from reaching 100 assists for the third straight season.
» In two career games versus Tennessee, junior guard K.D. Johnson is 16-of-28 from the field (57.1%) with 40 combined points. Both meetings, one with Georgia and one with Auburn, came on the road at Thompson-Boling Arena.
» Auburn is currently ranked 25th in the country in defensive efficiency while Tennessee is No. 1 heading into Saturday's matchup. The Tigers, who are holding opponents to 64.6 points per game on the season, are coming off one of their best offensive games where they scored 94 points and averaged 2.35 points per minute against Georgia.