With a 10-point victory in hand, the Tennessee Volunteers are moving on to the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament and sent the Auburn Tigers packing.
Before the game, Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford brought up the past, attempting to call out the Vols for supposedly disrespecting the Tigers after their regular-season matchup in January (yes, the game from nearly two months ago).
After the game, Pettiford quickly changed his tune, grasping at straws as he tried to cling to hope that his team had a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
"If they call our name, we'll be ready to go by next week," Pettiford said.
Loss to Vols changed Tahaad Pettiford's entire attitude
"Some things were said in the press conference, some giggles after the game, and we've seen it," Pettiford had said about the disrespect from earlier in the season. "We're going to see who's the tougher team... They punked us."
Well, it sure seems like the Volunteers have "punked" the Tigers once again, and undeniably, Tennessee looks like the tougher team.
Auburn even had a seven-point lead at halftime, but the Vols were able to storm back in front, securing the 72-62 win over Pettiford and the rest of the Tigers.
Tahaad Pettiford on waiting to see if Auburn makes the NCAA Tournament: "If they call our name, we'll be ready to go by next week."
— Justin Hokanson (@_JHokanson) March 12, 2026
Pettiford pulled quite the 180 after suffering an even worse loss to the Volunteers in the game where he was going to prove his team was "tougher."
Also read: Bruce Pearl blasts officiating after Tennessee win and Vols fans aren’t buying it
While Auburn heads home and tries to manifest its spot in the NCAA Tournament, the Volunteers are heading to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals, where they will face their in-state rivals, the Vanderbilt Commodores, for a third time this year.
At 3:30 p.m. ET on Friday, March 13, the Vols and the 'Dores will tip off their matchup to determine which team from Tennessee will move on to the semis.