Game Preview and Open Thread - Auburn @ Tennessee

After finishing the non-conference portion of the regular season at 12-1, Auburn heads into Knoxville and the towering Thompson-Boling Arena to play the #23 Tennessee Volunteers tonight at 6 pm CST.

The Tigers enter tonight’s game on a ten-game winning streak after dominating UConn and Cornell to finish up before SEC play begins against the Vols. Tennessee’s already ventured into league action, falling in overtime at Arkansas on Saturday 95-93 in Fayetteville.

While many people are saying that Auburn’s non-conference schedule was pretty light, the same cannot be said for Tennessee, who enters tonight’s game at 9-3. The Vols played Purdue, Villanova, NC State, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Wake Forest. Their only losses have come to teams currently ranked 3rd, 12th, and 22nd.

Tennessee’s got a roster full of scorers, with five guys averaging over eight points per game, led by forward Grant Williams with 15.1 ppg, but there’s a real lack of size across the board. Williams and Admiral Schofield (the Vols’ top two scorers) both stand at 6’5, but Jordan Bowen, Jordan Bone, and Lamont Turner (the next three guys in line) all stand at 6’3, 6’1, and 6’1 respectively. Auburn should be able to continue winning the boards and defending the rim with pretty solid voracity tonight for a big advantage.

However, Tennessee’s 29th in the country at hitting shots from outside, connecting on 39.9% of their threes, so Auburn will need to be at its best defensively on the perimeter to be successful. On the flip side, the Vols defense is allowing just 40% of shots to fall overall. Auburn’s potent offense will have a challenge tonight when the Tigers head to Knoxville.

HOW TO WATCH AND LISTEN - Auburn @ Tennessee - 6:00 pm CST - Knoxville, TN

TV: ESPNU

Radio: Auburn Sports Network