Despite a loss to Arkansas last week, Tennessee is riding high off a win against Kentucky that came in convincing fashion. The Vols are hoping to keep their home winning streak alive as it’s at 10 right now. And that’s one reason why Tennessee is favored to win this game despite Auburn’s ranking and record.
How to watch Auburn vs. Tennessee Basketball
Game Matchup: #3 Auburn (25-3, 13-2 SEC, 1st in SEC) vs. #17 Tennessee (20-7, 11-4 SEC, T-3rd in SEC)
Venue & Location: Thompson-Boling Arena (Knoxville, TN)
Date: Saturday, February 26, 2022
Time: 4:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN (Watch 7 days free with fuboTV)
Auburn has suffered two road losses recently to Arkansas in overtime and then Florida in Gainesville. The Florida loss is a bit historical as the Tigers have not won there since 1996! They need this win to stay atop the SEC standings and keep Kentucky, Arkansas, and Tennessee at bay.
Odds and prediction
Spread:
- Auburn
- Tennessee
Moneyline:
- Auburn
- Tennessee
Total:
Odds are via BetMGM.
Auburn vs. Tennessee Basketball Game Betting Preview
The Tigers are the best rim-protecting team in the country right now, averaging 8.5 blocks per game. That’s mostly the efforts of Walker Kessler, who is averaging 4.7 by himself! But this team just doesn’t give up easy looks at the rim and it finishes off possessions as well. The Tigers average 40.5 total rebounds per game as well, good for 11th in the country.
Tennessee might not rebound as well or score very many points per game (73.7), but what it does do well is turn over teams and and rack up steals (9.6 a game). With those steals, they can get out in transition and get easy baskets that way and that is how they will have to play in order to win. They also can’t afford to go over their season average of about 12 turnovers or it could get ugly.
Tennessee shoots the ball fairly well from outside at a 34.6% clip, but only a 43.1% clip overall from the floor. Meanwhile, Auburn is a bit of the opposite as it shoots only a 32.1% clip from deep, but 44.8% overall from the floor. So this game may also come down to who is hitting their best shots. Auburn inside the arc or Tennessee outside of it?
