AUBURN, Ala. – Securing its fifth 20-win season in six years, Auburn took control down the stretch to beat No. 12 Tennessee 79-70 Saturday at Neville Arena, all but guaranteeing the Tigers' an NCAA Tournament bid.
"Twenty wins matters," said Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, whose five 20-win seasons at Auburn are two more than any coach in program history. "We care about making history. This team made history."
Wendell Green Jr. led Auburn with 24 points while Johni Broome scored 17 and grabbed seven rebounds.
"Every game is win or go home," Green said. "Nobody's really worried about their stats. We're sharing the ball and taking open shots. I think we've been taking better care of the ball for the last few games. If we keep doing that and make some shots, we're in great standing."
Seniors and four-year program standouts Allen Flanigan and Jaylin Williams contributed mightily to the victory. Flanigan scored 16 points and made 2-of-3 3-pointers, while Williams scored 13 points and led Auburn with eight rebounds and seven assists.
"Tennessee is a really good, physical team. One of the top teams in the SEC," Williams said. "It was a good win for us."
Trailing 63-60 after Tennessee hit its sixth consecutive shot, Auburn began a decisive 9-0 run with Broome's tip-in. Williams scored with 4:25 to play to give Auburn a lead it would not relinquish.
After Williams made a pair of free throws, Flanigan culminated the run by scoring on a drive, drawing a foul and making the free throw to put the Tigers on top 69-63.
Green's and-one gave Auburn a 72-64 lead with 1:37 to play. After Tennessee made two free throws, the Tigers beat UT's full-court press when Williams threw a 75-foot inbounds chest pass in stride to Green for a layup that put the game out of reach, giving the Tigers a 15-0 edge in fast-break points.
Auburn overcame Tennessee's 35-29 rebounding advantage by valuing possessions, distributing 18 assists while committing only six turnovers and outscoring the Volunteers 21-4 in points off turnovers.
"Huge," Pearl said of Auburn's assist-to-turnover ratio. "This team has been one of the best at taking care of the ball that I've had. I've had some pretty good teams."
The Tigers outscored Tennessee 49-36 in the second half and the Volunteers missed their last seven shots over the final 6 minutes and 13 seconds.
Auburn trailed 34-27 in the closing seconds of the first half after a 7-0 Tennessee run but Green beat the buzzer when Williams found him with an inbounds pass for a corner 3-pointer.
"It was a great team effort," Pearl said. "It was an important win for us. We've played the toughest schedule in the league, having to play Tennessee, Alabama and A&M twice and at Kentucky."
The No. 7 seed in the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee, Auburn (20-11, 10-8) plays 10th-seeded Arkansas Thursday at 6 p.m. CT in Bridgestone Arena with the winner meeting second-seeded Texas A&M Friday at 6 p.m CT.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
TENNESSEE POSTGAME NOTES>> With the win, Auburn claims its 45th victory over Tennessee in the all-time series between the two schools. The Tigers and Volunteers split the regular-season series in SEC play. AU is now 31-24 when playing UT on the Plains.
>> Auburn is now 2-3 against Top 25 opponents this season. It was the Tigers' third Quad 1 win of the year as Tennessee entered the game ranked No. 3 in the NET rankings.
>> It's the third-straight year a No. 12-ranked team has fallen at Neville Arena (No. 12 Missouri in 2020-21, No. 12 Kentucky in 2021-22 and No. 12 Tennessee in 2022-23).
>> The Tigers turned in a 20-win season for the 14th time in program history and in back-to-back seasons under head coach Bruce Pearl. Auburn has won 20 or more games in five out of the last six seasons.
>> It was fitting that the first nine points of the game came from seniors Jaylin Williams (4), Allen Flanigan (3) and Zep Jasper (2) on Senior Day.
>> The Tigers dished out 18 assists with just six turnovers (3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio) behind a team-high seven from Jaylin Williams. It was the team's second-best assist-to-turnover ratio of the season.
>> Johni Broome extended his double-digit scoring streak to six consecutive games in SEC play with 17 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots. It was the second time this season Broome has made two 3s in a game. He also did it at Georgia on Jan. 4.
>> Wendell Green Jr. turned in his 21st double-figure game of the season with a season-high 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. It was his 19th career 20-point game.
>> Jaylin Williams has now reached double figures in seven of the team's last eight contests with a near triple-double performance with 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
>> Back-to-back games in double digits for Allen Flanigan as he poured in 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field.
>> Dylan Cardwell did not suit up for the Tennessee game recovering from an injury against Alabama on March 1.