No. 25 Tennessee (16-6, 9-6) vs. Auburn (11-13, 5-10)
Auburn Arena, Auburn, Alabama; Saturday, 12 a.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Auburn looks for its sixth straight win in the head-to-head series over No. 25 Tennessee. In its last five wins against the Volunteers, Auburn has won by an average of 13 points. Tennessee’s last win in the series came on Jan. 31, 2017, an 87-77 victory.
TALE OF TWO ROSTERS: Tennessee has been fueled by senior leadership this year while Auburn has leaned on freshmen. For the Volunteers, seniors Jaden Springer, John Fulkerson and Victor Bailey Jr. have collectively scored 44 percent of the team’s points this season, including 54 percent of all Volunteers points over their last five. In the other locker room, freshmen Allen Flanigan, Jaylin Williams, Sharife Cooper and JT Thor have collectively accounted for 56 percent of Auburn’s scoring this season, including 64 percent of the team’s points over its last five games.
OFFENSIVE THREAT: Cooper has either made or assisted on 43 percent of all Auburn field goals over the last five games. The freshman guard has accounted for 23 field goals and 31 assists in those games.
COLD SPELL: Auburn has scored 75.7 points per game and allowed 83.7 over a three-game home losing streak.
PASSING FOR POINTS: The Volunteers have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Tigers. Auburn has an assist on 33 of 75 field goals (44 percent) over its previous three outings while Tennessee has assists on 49 of 73 field goals (67.1 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The Tennessee defense has forced opponents into turnovers on an impressive 23.2 percent of all possessions, which ranks the Volunteers 26th among Division I teams. Auburn has turned the ball over on 22.2 percent of its possessions (ranking the Tigers 311th, nationally).
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