Tennessee Basketball to Face Auburn in SEC Tournament Second Round

Vols and Tigers to meet in Nashville on Thursday, with winner advancing to quarterfinals

Published on Mar. 11, 2026

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Tennessee basketball, the No. 5 seed in the SEC Tournament, will take on the No. 12 seed Auburn Tigers in the second round on Thursday in Nashville. The Vols defeated the Tigers 77-69 in their lone regular-season matchup. If Tennessee wins, they will face Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals.

Why it matters

This game marks the first postseason meeting between Tennessee and Auburn this year, with the winner advancing to face Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. Both teams are looking to make a deep run in the conference tournament to improve their NCAA Tournament seeding.

The details

Tennessee, led by 22 points and 8 rebounds from Nate Ament, defeated Auburn 77-69 in their only regular-season matchup on January 31. Auburn advanced to the second round with a 77-61 win over Mississippi State on Wednesday. This is Steven Pearl's first season as Auburn's head coach, after taking over for his father Bruce Pearl, the former Tennessee coach.

  • The game is scheduled for approximately 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 14, 2026.
  • Tennessee and Auburn met once during the regular season on January 31, 2026.

The players

Nate Ament

Tennessee forward who scored 22 points and had 8 rebounds in the Vols' regular-season win over Auburn.

Jaylen Carey

Tennessee guard who contributed 13 points and 8 rebounds in the win over Auburn.

Steven Pearl

In his first season as the head coach of the Auburn Tigers, after taking over for his father Bruce Pearl, the former Tennessee coach.

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What’s next

If Tennessee defeats Auburn, they will face Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on Saturday.

The takeaway

This second-round SEC Tournament matchup between Tennessee and Auburn features two teams looking to improve their NCAA Tournament seeding with a deep run in the conference tournament. The Vols will look to build on their regular-season win over the Tigers, while Auburn aims to pull off the upset and advance.