It didn’t look pretty at times, but then this wasn’t another over-matched opponent playing on Auburn’s home court. This was the 23rd-ranked Tennessee Volunteers, and Auburn was the visitor. The Tigers opened SEC play in Knoxville with a 94–84 win over the Vols.
Auburn entered the game 12–1 and was clearly the more talented team. In his pregame interview Coach Bruce Pearl noted that Auburn had played through adversity both on and off the floor, but the one thing it hadn’t done was get down big and play from behind. That’s exactly what the Tigers faced with ten minutes left in the first half as they were down as much as 14 points in the early going.