![Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes reacts during first half of an NCAA basketball at Steven C. O'Connell Center Exactek arena in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, January 10, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_90,w_2715,h_1527/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/212/01kgbkrnwgxwhyyv7fqc.jpg "Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes reacts during first half of an NCAA basketball at Steven C. O'Connell Center Exactek arena in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, January 10, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
The win streak continues as the Tennessee Vols pick up another Saturday night win, this time taking down former Tennessee Vol Steven Pearl and the Auburn Tigers 77-69.
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Ahead of the matchup versus Auburn, Rick Barnes knew it would be a fierce battle, citing how the SEC games typically finish in close fashion. He said, "I've said many times that each game takes on its own personality. And you look at our league, I think about every four games is decided by a bucket. And that's how competitive this league is."
This game was no different. The Vols were off to a hot start, causing Auburn head coach Steven Pearl to call a timeout less than two minutes in the game. The Vols were dominating the glass once again early on, picking up right where they left off against Georgia on Wednesday night.
Auburn continued to chip away at the lead, though, as Tennessee could never fully pull away from Auburn. Even in the final minute, Auburn got the game back to two possessions. The Tigers hit multiple three-pointers that were and-1's, and they began to match Tennessee's physicality in the second half, but ultimately, Tennessee's hot start was too much for Auburn to come back from.
No Felix Okpara? No problem
On a night where Felix Okpara was missing for the Vols after an unexpected calf injury, Tennessee's front-court depth excelled. Jaylen Carey pitched in 13 points off the bench after JP Estrellla got into early foul trouble. Ament didn't have his best shooting night from the floor, but he scored 22 points once again, showing confidence when in iso plays. He was aggressive, taking the ball to the rack, taking 15 free throws, and making 12.
Tennessee's free-throw shooting was also a major storyline tonight. Time and time again, this year, we have muttered about the poor free-throw shooting the Vols have had in games, but tonight, their ability to hit shots at the charity stripe was massive.
Tennessee went 25-for-31 at the free-throw line (80.6%), gaining a massive advantage at the stripe against the nation’s top foul-drawing team.
If the Vols continue to defend, rebound, and knock down their free throws, they’re going to be a tough team to slow down moving forward. Tennessee will host Ole Miss on Tuesday night, where they will look to add to their streak.