Can AU take the Shine off of UTK's Pearl?

Tough task tonight for the Auburn men's basketball team (13-10, 3-7) as it plays at #2 ranked Tennessee (23-2, 10-1) at 6:30 pm Central in Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.

Auburn has lost its last four games in Knoxville by an average margin of 18 points. But it's not all bad as Jeff Lebo has a 2-1 record against the Vols as Auburn's head coach (3-1 overall) including a 1-1 record against Bruce Pearl. The team is improving, especially on defense, as they have forced 63 turnovers in their last three games.

Tennessee might be too deep for the Tigers as they have 10 guys that consistently play double-digit minutes and Auburn's weakness is their depth, not to mention having to run up and down the court with these fast-paced Vols. Preventing the Vols from getting on runs, limiting Chris Lofton's three-point shooting and keeping the crowd out of it will be crucial, including keeping up the 21 turnovers per game average over the last three.

Could UTK be looking ahead to Saturday's matchup against the #1 ranked Memphis Tigers? They haven't won an outright SEC championship in 41 years and that is the their main goal. Winning the SEC will give the Vols, at worst, an inside shot at a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament in March.

Auburn will keep this one close for a half but UTK's depth and a great homecourt advantage will be too much as Auburn leaves Knoxville winded in an 83-64 loss.