Tennessee's conference home opener comes against Bruce Pearl and his Auburn squad, who are winners of their last 10 games and own one of the best records in the SEC at 12-1.
Auburn boasts wins over UConn, Middle Tennessee and Dayton this season. The only blemish on the schedule came at the hands of Temple, who has also defeated Clemson, South Carolina and Wisconsin.
Auburn is paced by guards Bryce Brown and Mustapha Heron on offense, as the duo averages 30.3 ppg. Brown is the workhorse for the Tigers, playing more than 31 minutes per game. Heron is shooting 45 percent (61-of-137) from the field and is snagging 5.6 rebounds per game.
Jared Harper can score from anywhere on the floor or can find a teammate for an easy basket, posting 12.2 ppg and 5.5 apg, which ranks second in the SEC.
Forward Desean Murray is averaging 10.8 ppg and a team-leading 7.4 rpg. Fellow forward Anfernee McLemore rounds out Auburn's starting five. Through non-conference play, he was tallying 8.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg and an SEC-leading 3.4 bpg.
The Tigers' strong suit comes on the offensive end of the floor, posting 86.8 points a game (the conference's second-highest mark). They lead the SEC in both offensive rebounding (13.4) and 3-pointers made (9.8) per game. While it boasts a high-scoring offense, Auburn works to keep its opponents from scoring, leading the SEC in blocks per game (6.8) and ranking tied for fourth in steals per game (7.2).