Auburn Tigers vs. Tennessee Volunteers Prediction & Game Preview - 2/26/2022

Time: 4 p.m. ET

Venue: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, TN

Where to watch: ESPN

DraftKings: Check back later

BetMGM: Check back later

Caesars: Check back later

No. 3 Auburn: 25-3 (13-2 SEC)

No. 17 Tennessee: 20-7 (11-4 SEC)

I think when you get to this time of year, there are teams that need to be humbled. And I don't mean humbled as in a negative sense. I mean so in the way that teams need to learn how to lose in order to figure out how to win when it matters most. And I think that reference matters more to the Auburn Tigers than I think any other team in the country.

Because look at the other teams within the top ten. Gonzaga isn't going to lose anytime soon until they get to the tournament. The only way they're gonna know what it feels like to lose is deep into the tournament when they've already succeeded well enough. The same can go for the Arizona Wildcats in their dominant run during the PAC 12, even the Purdue Boilermakers can also lay claim to something like this.

But I look at Auburn, a team that I don't think has been talked about nearly enough as national championship contenders because the Kentucky Wildcats have risen from the dead and have decided to play good basketball this late into the season again. But Auburn who has been a top five team for however many weeks has now lost two of its last five. Both of those losses have come in either overtime or by one point.

This is really the first rough patch that Auburn has gone through and now facing the 17th ranked Tennessee volunteers on Saturday, a Tennessee team that just beat Kentucky about two weeks ago, this is going to be a make or break game for Auburn.

And to lead the charge it is going to have to be Jabari Smith playing a lot better than he did in Auburn 13 point victory over Ole Miss the other day. Smith, the potential conference player of the year and probable lottery pick in this year's NBA draft, finished with 15 points, 9 rebounds, and five assists. That would be good on any other given stat line, but he shot 4 of 12 from the field. Fortunately he had Zep Jasper picking up the shooting slack by making four 3 pointers and finishing with 15 points.

but if Auburn is going to have any chance at making as deep of a run as we all expect him to, it is going to come down to Smith and his all around play. He needs to play better, he needs to shoot better and he needs to be the one that is relied upon too squeeze out these wins that will hopefully 4 Auburn lead to a conference championship.

The Tennessee Volunteers might be the weirdest team in the SEC. They’re not the best, but they’re certainly not bad, either. It’s a weird thing to get involved in when trying to decipher this team. Because the Vols can have one of the most impressive performances in a long time in defeating Kentucky at home by 13 points, but then come back the next week on the road and lay an egg to Arkansas.

So they’re a weird group. And really it’s just weird to pick where the Vols fit in the SEC given who’s sitting at the top of the heap. And Tennessee did rebound to win against Missouri on Tuesday, winning 80-61. Kennedy Chandler led with 23 points on an efficient 9 of 12 shooting to go with eight rebounds and six assists, and Santiago Vescovi had 14 points.

But as far as where they are on the pecking order, that remains to be seen. They’re cemented in fourth place on the SEC standings but have lost the tiebreaker to Arkansas with that loss, but think of how a win against Auburn can change things on a dime. 

I don’t think it’s a matter of if the SEC can be a four-bid league, but how much can Tennessee enhance that cause with a win over the likes of Auburn. I for one did not have them handling Kentucky as well as they did, but that was probably their big statement victory this season. In a year where the SEC might be the strongest it’s been in a long time, the chances can be strengthened with how Tennessee plays in this game.

Vescovi is going to be the guy most abreast of the situation to get Tennessee going. He’s their best inside-out player that can take the ball to the rack and still pull up from 3. If he can break through with a few big baskets and keep this game close.

That being said, as the driver of the Auburn bandwagon all season long, it’s been one hell of a ride with only a few bumps along the way. The way Smith has become one of the best players in the country has been exciting, and their overall defense has just been something to behold. I’m not sure how far Auburn can go, but a long tournament run (another one) definitely seems in the cards. Again, it comes down to Smith, who I think will have a big game on the road and will silence the Knoxville crowd. Auburn by 9

PG: K.D. Johnson

SG: Zep Jasper
SF: Allen Flanigan
PF: Jabari Smith II
C: Walker Kessler

PG: Kennedy Chandler

SG: Santiago Vescovi

SF: Josiah-Jordan James

PF: Olivier Nkamhoua

C: Uros Plavsic

Points: Jabari Smith -- 16.3

Rebounds: Walker Kessler -- 8.2

Assists: Wendell Green Jr. -- 5.0

Points: Santiago Vescovi -- 13.6

Rebounds: Josiah-Jordan James -- 5.8

Assists: Kennedy Chandler -- 4.8