Tennessee basketball is set for another heavyweight matchup on Saturday as the Vols travel to the plains and take on No. 1 Auburn. The Vols are coming off back-to-back weeks with a loss in conference play and will look to change that trend with an upset against the best team in the country.
Tennessee is a 7.5-point underdog in its road matchup against Auburn. That's not surprising, given recent performances from both programs. The over/under is set at 140.5 points, which is similar to over/under lines in recent games.
Auburn could be without its best player, Johni Broome, against Tennessee, which would be huge for the Vols. Bruce Pearl said earlier in the week he didn't expect Broome to practice much this week but will be evaluated later in the week to determine if he will be available to play.
No Broome for Auburn could be a key factor in Tennessee's win on Saturday. The Vols' presence in the paint has been unreliable throughout conference play, so facing a player like Broome would further test the Vols down low and force Tennessee to play physical, lights-out defense or potentially face another conference loss.
This also opens the door for Tennessee to send a message against an elite team and earn a huge in-conference win. With or without Broome, Tennessee has the opportunity to bring back its physical and constrictive defense, which forces turnovers and puts pressure on opposing offenses.
Pair that with Tennessee's explosive offense, and the Vols are capable of winning any game on their schedule this year. Chaz Lanier is coming off a 23-point performance, reminding VolNation what he is capable of when he shoots well.
He's still averaging 18 points per game and shooting 41%, but the Vols will likely need him to play above his average against the Tigers if they are to upset Auburn.
The Vols and Tigers top ten matchup is set to tip off at 8:30 PM ET on ESPN to headline a big day of college basketball.