Tennessee and Auburn shared the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship last year and head into league competition as prime contenders for the title again.
The No. 3 Volunteers (10-1) and 12th-ranked Tigers (10-2) are the SEC's highest-ranked teams with league play starting Jan. 5.
This is an unfamiliar situation for both teams.
Auburn made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003 last year, while Tennessee was a surprise co-champion after being picked to finish 13th out of 14 teams in the league standings. This year, both have dealt with much higher preseason expectations.
"You have your number in front of your university's name and that becomes a red-letter game for everybody to build their resume," Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said.