NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The fourth-seeded University of Tennessee men’s basketball team secured a 70-65 victory over top-seeded Auburn in a thrilling SEC Tournament semifinal matchup at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Tennessee, ranked No. 8/6, improved to 27-6 overall with a 12-6 record in SEC play, while Auburn dropped to 28-5 with a 15-3 mark in the conference. The win marked Tennessee’s fourth appearance in the SEC Tournament championship game in the last seven years.
The victory also gave the Volunteers a school-record seventh AP top-15 win of the season, including four victories over top-seven teams, tying a program best.
Senior guard Zakai Zeigler led Tennessee with a team-high 20 points, which marked his 10th career game with at least 20 points. He also made a perfect 9-of-9 from the free-throw line, his most free throws without a miss as a Volunteer. Zeigler’s all-around performance included four assists, increasing his season total to 234 assists and moving him into the top 10 on the SEC single-season list.
Fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier, playing in his hometown of Nashville, got off to a fast start for the second day in a row, scoring eight points and making all three of his field-goal attempts in the first 3:23. By 9:53 into the game, Lanier had increased his total to 10 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting. Tennessee held a 22-17 lead at that point.
Tennessee’s advantage grew to as much as seven points at 26-19 with 7:52 left in the first half. However, Auburn responded with a 10-0 run during a 5:15 scoring drought for the Volunteers, taking a 29-26 lead with 3:27 remaining.
The Volunteers managed to briefly reclaim the lead twice before Auburn took a 33-32 advantage into halftime. Tennessee converted all seven of its first-half free throws, all from Zeigler, while Auburn made just four of eight. The Volunteers were outscored 9-0 in points off turnovers, committing six turnovers while forcing only two. Auburn’s Johni Broome, the SEC Player of the Year, led the Tigers with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting, while Zeigler led Tennessee with 11 points.
Auburn came out strong in the second half, scoring six straight points in 70 seconds to take a five-point lead, 41-36, with 16:43 remaining. Tennessee quickly responded with a 9-2 burst to regain a 45-43 lead with 13:37 left, entering the bonus shortly after.
Auburn briefly regained the lead with a 3-pointer but Tennessee responded with an explosive 17-4 run. During this stretch, the Volunteers scored eight consecutive points in 2:28 to open up a 12-point advantage, 62-50, with 7:17 left. Tennessee’s defense was stifling, holding Auburn without a field goal for 5:16 and preventing any points for 3:38 of that stretch.
However, Auburn wasn’t done. The Tigers rallied with a 10-0 run, including two 3-pointers, in just 1:39 to cut the deficit to two points, 64-62, with 4:10 remaining. But the Volunteers held their ground. Sophomore forward Cade Phillips extended the lead with a tip-in at the 3:24 mark, and after a free throw by Auburn, senior guard Jordan Gainey made a layup to push the lead to 68-63 with 2:23 to go.
Auburn scored once more with 1:16 left to trim the lead to three points but had multiple chances to tie the game. The Tigers missed all three of their field-goal attempts and both free throws in the final 29 seconds. Tennessee sealed the win as senior guard Jahmai Mashack hit two free throws with 14 seconds remaining.
Gainey finished with 15 points, five rebounds, and a perfect 8-of-8 performance at the free-throw line, matching his career high for free throws made without a miss. Lanier added 12 points, while junior forward Felix Okpara grabbed a game-high nine rebounds before fouling out in the final minute.
Broome led Auburn with 23 points and seven rebounds, shooting 9-of-13 from the field and 5-of-12 from the free-throw line. Senior guards Miles Kelly and Denver Jones contributed 13 and 10 points, respectively, but Tennessee’s defense limited Jones to just 1-of-6 shooting.
Tennessee dominated at the free-throw line, converting 25 of 27 attempts (92.6%), while Auburn made just 13 of 22 (59.1%). The Volunteers also had a decisive 25-3 advantage in bench points.
With the victory, Tennessee advanced to play for the SEC championship for the 14th time in program history. The Volunteers will face either fourth-ranked Florida or second-seeded Florida at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, live on ESPN.
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