Auburn at Tennessee: 2021-22 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
Tennessee hosts No. 3 Auburn in an important SEC matchup for the first and only time in the regular season. Can the Vols pull off the upset?
TV schedule: Saturday, February 26th, 4:00 pm ET. ESPN
Arena: Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee
The Auburn Tigers (25-3, 13-2 in SEC) had a 19-game win streak and a No. 1 overall ranking just a couple of weeks ago. But road play in SEC has finally caught up to them, having gone 2-2 in the past four games that include defeats to both Arkansas and Florida.
The good news is Auburn was able to bounce back from last Saturday’s loss to the Gators, beating Ole Miss, 77-64. It was a balanced effort overall, with Zep Jasper and Jabari Smith each scoring 15 points, while Wendell Green had 14 points and four assists off the bench. Walker Kessler, the nation’s leader in blocks, had eight against the Rebels and almost had another triple-double on the season.
Kessler and the Tigers will be going up against another SEC opponent in No. 16 Tennessee. They’ve won six of seven games, with the lone loss coming at Arkansas last week. A couple of days ago, the Vols defeated Missouri on the road, 80-61. Kennedy Chandler led all scorers with 23 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, while Santiago Vescovi chipped in with 14 points.
One thing to note from that game is that senior forward John Fulkerson played just six minutes in that game after reportedly suffering a hip injury in the prior game. Without him, that leaves freshmen Jonas Aidoo and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, along with veteran Uros Plavsic to get more minutes, especially with starter Olivier Nkamhoua still out.
This is a poor time to have frontcourt issues, as Kessler and Smith in one of the best frontcourts in the country. That puts a lot of pressure on Chandler and Vescovi to provide the bulk of the scoring production. Overall, the Vols’ scoring offense has improved and become more consistent but if a pressure defense like Auburn gets a hold of them, droughts could easily occur.
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Although the Tigers have struggled on the road as of late, I don’t think this is a very good matchup for the Vols, especially if Fulkerson can’t play near 100%. This is the type of game where Auburn makes their mark early and keeps it going for all 40 minutes.
Prediction: Auburn 76, Tennessee 62