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Tennessee basketball vs. Auburn: Score prediction, scouting report

mike wilson, knoxville news sentinel
·3 min read

Tennessee basketball has its final regular-season game and its first without Zakai Zeigler.

No. 14 Tennessee (22-8, 116 SEC) plays at Auburn (19-11, 9-8) on Saturday (2 p.m. ET, ESPN). Zeigler suffered a torn ACL in UT's win against Arkansas on Tuesday. He will miss the rest of the season.

Here is what to know about the matchup:

CHANGES: How Zakai Zeigler injury could impact Tennessee basketball for March Madness and beyond

FIRST TIME: The unsung heroes of Tennessee basketball's win vs. Auburn

Tennessee needs a win to guarantee a top-four seed

Tennessee can land between a No. 3 seed and No. 6 seed in the SEC Tournament entering Saturday. It would lock up a No. 4 seed and a double-bye in the SEC Tournament with a win Saturday. A loss to the Tigers would mean Tennessee needs help to secure a double-bye.

The Vols are tied with Kentucky for third in the SEC with an 11-6 record. Kentucky plays at Arkansas on Saturday and holds the tiebreaker over UT after sweeping the regular-season series.

Missouri and Vanderbilt are 10-7. Missouri holds the tiebreaker with UT because of its win against the Vols. Missouri ends the regular season against Ole Miss. Vanderbilt faces Mississippi State in Nashville. UT also does not hold the tiebreaker in a three-way tie with Vanderbilt and Missouri due to a 1-2 record against the Commodores and Tigers. UT does have the tiebreaker with Vanderbilt because of its win against Alabama, the highest-seeded common opponent.

Alabama and Texas A&M have secured the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds, respectively.

Jonas Aidoo racking up minutes

Jonas Aidoo played a career-high 30 minutes against Arkansas on Tuesday. The Vols sophomore has started six straight games.

“What he did the other night is when we, defensively he did exactly what we needed him to do from a defensive standpoint," Vols coach Rick Barnes said. "I like to think that he’s starting to figure it out and the consistency of what we need him to do every night.”

Aidoo has played at least 20 minutes in four of his six starts for UT. He had eight points and three rebounds against Arkansas. He had blocked at least two shots in four of five games before Tuesday.

How Tennessee won the first meeting vs. Auburn

Tennessee and Auburn combined for 89 points in a fist-fight on Feb. 4. The Vols edged the Tigers 46-43. UT shot 27% from the field and 2-for-21 on 3-pointers. Auburn shot 23.6% and was 3-for-27 on 3-pointers.

Santiago Vescovi converted a four-point play with 2:33 to play that provided the biggest shot after UT was 1-for-17 on 3-pointers. Tennessee held Auburn to 1-for-19 shooting in the final 15:40 of the first half to take the lead.

Tennessee basketball score prediction vs. Auburn

Tennessee 56, Auburn 52: Tennessee hasn't solved its road woes, but it will rely on big-time play in the post in the aftermath of Zeigler's injury.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee basketball vs. Auburn: Score prediction, scouting report