Long dismissed as a football conference that was a men’s college basketball afterthought, the SEC has emerged as an overwhelming behemoth this season, with nine teams in the top 25 of the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, including eight in the top 16.
This weekend, two of the league’s highest-ranked teams will face off.
Watch Tennessee vs. Auburn basketball live with Fubo (free trial)
No. 1 Auburn will host No. 7 Tennessee Saturday in what will likely go down as one of the biggest games of the 2024-25 season, with conference regular-season championship and NCAA Tournament seeding implications at stake.
The Tigers appear to be the best team in the country seven weeks from Selection Sunday, with a 17-1 record that’s only blemished by a six-point loss at No. 2 Duke on Dec. 4. Entering the weekend, Bruce Pearl’s team has 10 Quad 1 wins in the NCAA’s NET rankings, more than any other team in the country.
There’s some question of whether it will have forward Johni Broome, the team’s leader in points, rebounds and assists per game and one of the front-runners for the various national player of the year awards. Broome has missed the Tigers’ past two games with a sprained ankle, though his team went 2-0 during that time, knocking off what were ranked Mississippi State and Georgia squads.
With or without Broome, the Vols should present Auburn one of its biggest challenges to date. Tennessee won its first 14 games this season and spent several weeks as the nation’s No. 1 team, though following that 14-0 start, it’s 3-2 in its past five games, with losses to Florida and Vanderbilt. After losing Dalton Knecht to the NBA, coach Rick Barnes has found another star in the transfer portal, with former North Florida standout Chaz Lanier averaging a team-best 18.4 points per game.
The game will pit the Vols against Pearl, who coached at Tennessee from 2005-11.
Here’s how to watch the Tennessee vs. Auburn basketball game today, today, including time, TV schedule and streaming information:
The Vols and Tigers will face off in a nationally televised game on ESPN. Dan Shulman (play-by-play) and Jay Bilas (analyst) will be on the call while Jess Sims reports from the sideline.
Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app and Fubo, the latter of which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
Tennessee and Auburn are scheduled to tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 25 at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama.
This section will be updated when odds became available.
Here is how beat writers at the Knox News and Montgomery Advertiser are picking Saturday’s game:
Mike Wilson, Knox News: Auburn 83, Tennessee 69
The Tigers have been the best team in the nation all season and Tennessee has not been reliable on the road. That is a bad combination.
Adam Cole, Montgomery Advertiser: No. 1 Auburn 65, No. 6 Tennessee 64
It’s not to say Auburn hasn’t had close calls this season, whether against nonconference foes or the SEC. But just once it has come out defeated. And that was not without Broome.
Here’s a look at Tennessee’s past five games. For the Vols’ full 2024-25 schedule, click here.
Here’s a look at Auburn’s past five games. For the Tigers’ full 2024-25 schedule, click here.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
By: Don Rebel Sunday, January 26, 2025 | 7:17 PM
John Fanta College Basketball Broadcaster and Reporter As we hit seven weeks before the N
Homewood-Flossmoor coach Jamere Dismukes lean
Multifaceted backcourt talent Deron Rippey Jr., who received his dream offer from UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis back in late December, has climbed 14 n