Tennessee kept its SEC momentum rolling on Saturday night, notching a third straight conference win with a 77-69 victory over Auburn at Food City Center. The Vols led wire-to-wire in front of a fired-up Knoxville crowd, capping off a strong week that included road wins over Alabama and Georgia.
From the opening tip, Tennessee came out firing. The Vols were locked in offensively, connecting on a flurry of early three-pointers that helped them build a double-digit cushion in the first half.
At one point, the lead stretched to 16 as Tennessee dictated the pace and tempo. Auburn managed to trim the deficit to 10 by halftime, but the Vols still had control-and the home crowd behind them.
The second half, though, brought a different kind of test. Auburn didn’t fold.
Behind a spark from KeShawn Hall, the Tigers found their rhythm and began chipping away at Tennessee’s lead. With just under seven minutes remaining, the Vols’ once-comfortable margin had shrunk to just three points.
That’s when Tennessee showed some real poise.
Rather than panic, the Vols regrouped. They tightened up defensively, knocked down key free throws, and made timely plays on both ends of the floor to reestablish control. It wasn’t always pretty, but it was effective-and it was enough to seal a hard-earned win over a scrappy Auburn squad.
Freshman forward Nate Ament led the charge for Tennessee with 22 points. While he struggled from the field-just 25% shooting-he was relentless at the line, converting 12 of his 15 free throw attempts. That kind of efficiency at the stripe helped steady the Vols when the offense hit a few rough patches.
Jaylen Carey also made his presence felt early, giving Tennessee a boost with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting. His energy and shot-making helped the Vols set the tone in the opening minutes, and that early cushion proved critical as the game tightened down the stretch.
After the game, head coaches Rick Barnes and Steven Pearl shared their thoughts on the battle, while Ament and forward DeWayne Brown also addressed the media.
Bottom line: Tennessee is starting to find its stride in SEC play. With three straight wins-two of them on the road-and a growing sense of confidence, the Vols are positioning themselves as a team to watch down the stretch.