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Auburn vs Tennessee: 2019 SEC Tournament title game preview, TV schedule

By Joey Loose

KNOXVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 29: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers and Admiral Schofield #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate on the bench during the second half of the game between the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on December 29, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won 96-53. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 29: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers and Admiral Schofield #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate on the bench during the second half of the game between the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on December 29, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won 96-53. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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Auburn and Tennessee will meet in the SEC title game on Sunday afternoon; can the Volunteers grab a top seed in the NCAA Tournament or will the Tigers roll to an unexpected league title?

TV schedule: Sunday, March 17, 1:00 pm ET. ESPN

Arena: Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee

Just hours before the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed, 5-seed Auburn (25-9) will take on 2-seed Tennessee (29-4) in the SEC championship game. These teams are both safely in the field, though this game could definitely factor into their seeding possibilities. Tennessee still has the potential to get a 1-seed after their victory over Kentucky while Auburn would certainly boost their resume with an SEC Tournament title. Meanwhile, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl will face his former team on the biggest stage the SEC can offer.

There were high expectations for Auburn this season, and they are finally playing like the team we expected at the start of the year. They played Duke tough in Maui but also picked up seven losses in SEC play, including a sweep by Ole Miss. Fortunately they’ve now won seven straight games and are playing their best ball at the right time of the year.

There’s talent all over this Auburn roster, and their top scorers have been shooting the ball much better in recent weeks. Guards Bryce Brown (15.8 ppg) and Jared Harper (15.2 ppg, 5.8 apg) ignite the offense. Harper had 27 points against South Carolina on Friday and led the way with 20 points against the Gators yesterday. Brown has made at least three 3-pointers in each of Auburn’s SEC tournament games. The big man to watch for the Tigers is sophomore forward Chuma Okeke (11.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg), though he’s been relatively quiet this week.

Led by their offense, Auburn sits at 15th in KenPom and 8th in offensive efficiency. This is an efficient 3-point shooting team that also leads the nation in defensive turnovers. Their guards play fast, though this team does struggle at grabbing rebounds. When the Tigers make their shots, this team is hard to handle.

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They lost to Auburn last Saturday, but this Tennessee squad has shown that they are one of the nation’s most talented teams. They knocked off Gonzaga in December and won twice against Kentucky, including yesterday’s semifinals win. The Volunteers got off to an 11-0 start in SEC play and their studs have started playing at that elite level once more.

There are plenty of stars on this Volunteers roster, though none may shine brighter than junior forward Grant Williams (19.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg). Williams put up 20 points yesterday and could go off at any moment, with his 43-point effort at Vanderbilt as the prime example. Another match-up nightmare is senior guard Admiral Schofield (16.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg), who led the team with 21 points against the Wildcats. If junior guard Jordan Bone (13.4 ppg, 6.2 apg) catches fire like he did against Kentucky two weeks ago (5-5 from 3, 27 points), then this Volunteers squad might be unbeatable.

The Volunteers rank 7th in KenPom and 3rd in offensive efficiency, just a few spots above the Tigers. Tennessee is great at avoiding turnovers and really dominates inside the paint on both sides of the ball. These teams play at a similar pace and both struggle at defensive rebounds, opening the doors for second chance opportunities both ways.

When these teams played last Saturday, Auburn won the game despite being out-shot and out-rebounded, making a few more outside shots and grabbing 11 steals. The Volunteers were sloppy (13 turnovers) with the ball, and to win this game will need to avoid those costly mistakes. For the Tigers, they’ll need a  similar effort from Okeke (22 points) down low, especially when he has to contend with Schofield and the Volunteers’ big men.

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Whichever team can get into a shooting groove is going to have the advantage in this game. If Williams and Schofield can get the offense going down low, then it’ll be hard for the Tigers to beat this team again, especially with this game not at home. This should be an intense back-and-forth effort with great offense, but I expect the Volunteers and their stars to make a couple more shots when it counts most down the stretch. Either way, look forward to seeing both of these teams make some noise in the NCAA Tournament.

Prediction: Tennessee 85, Auburn 82

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