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How To Watch: No. 4 Tennessee vs. No. 1 Auburn in the SEC Tournament semifinal

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•03/15/25•

GrantRamey

Bruce Pearl, Auburn Basketball | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
(Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl works with his team against Mississippi during the first half of a Southeastern Conference tournament quarterfinal game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, March 14, 2025.

No. 4 Tennessee gets its second shot against No. 1 Auburn in the SEC Tournament semifinal Saturday afternoon at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN.

Tennessee (26-6) beat Texas 83-72 Friday in the tournament’s quarterfinal round. Auburn (28-4) beat Ole Miss 62-57 in the first game of the afternoon session.

The Vols 53-51 at Auburn on January 25, unable to close after leading by four points with 2:05 left in the game.

How To Watch: No. 4 Tennessee vs. No. 1 Auburn

Start Time: Saturday, 1 p.m. Eastern Time

TV: ESPN

Streaming: ESPN App or WatchESPN.com

Radio: WNML-FM 99.1 in Knoxville. The Vol Network radio broadcast can be heard on local affiliates across the state of Tennessee.

KenPom Prediction: Auburn 72, Tennessee 69 (39% chance to win)

The Line: Tennessee +3.5 (Total: 135.5)

Series History: Tennessee vs. Auburn

Zakai Zeigler had 14 points, six rebounds and five assists in the 53-51 loss at Auburn in January and Chaz Lanier scored 10. Johni Broome returned from an ankle injury that sidelined him the previous three games and made his presence felt, scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in 33 minutes. 

Miles Kelly made the go-ahead 3-pointer from the corner off a Broome drive and pass and Zeigler missed a corner three with eight seconds left. 

Tennessee had won three of four against Auburn before the loss earlier this season. The Vols won 92-84 in Knoxville last season, lost 79-70 at Auburn in March 2023 and won at home in both February 2023 and February 2022.

A Closer Look: The Auburn Tigers

Auburn was 27-2 before losing its final two games of the regular season, 83-72 at Texas A&M and 93-91 at home in overtime against Alabama. The Tigers lost at Duke in the ACC-SEC Challenge in December, 84-78 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and lost 90-81 at home to Florida on February 8.

Auburn is ranked No. 2 in both the NET and the KenPom.com ratings. The Tigers are ranked No. 2 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency, scoring 128.7 points per 100 possessions, and are No. 12 in adjusted defensive efficiency, giving up 93.1 points per 100 possessions. 

Tennessee is No. 5 in both the NET and the KenPom ratings. The Vols dropped to No. 2 in adjusted defensive efficiency (88.7) after the win over Texas. They’re up to No. 18 in adjusted offensive efficiency (119.6).

Auburn’s Bruce Pearl earlier this week was named the SEC Coach of the Year and Broome was named the SEC Player of the Year, after averaging 18.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.4 blocks per game.

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