The Stretch 4: Once again, Auburn vs. Tennessee takes center stage
For the second time *ever*, the Tigers will host a top-10 game. And they know they'll have their hands full against a familiar foe.
(Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers)
AUBURN — The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Auburn basketball has climbed to the unanimous No. 1 spot in the AP poll for the first time in program history.
It is also currently on top of the most competitive version of the SEC, which might have a claim to having the single-toughest conference season in the modern era.
These are unprecedented times for the Tigers.
But, this Saturday, there’s going to be plenty of familiarity.
It’s the biggest home game of the season so far for Auburn, and it’s — once again — a visit from Tennessee.
College GameDay will be in town for the fifth season in a row.
Bruce Pearl is going to square off against Rick Barnes in a battle between the two programs that have defined the league for the better part of the last decade.
“These two teams, Tennessee and Auburn, have been the best two teams in the SEC, at least by winning percentage, over the last eight years,” Pearl said. “And I'm proud to be a part of that.”
Pearl is right: Auburn has a winning percentage of 73.9%, and Tennessee is at 73.4%. The two teams have combined for seven SEC titles over that span — four for Auburn, three for Tennessee.
And, if things couldn’t get any closer between these two programs, Pearl is 8-7 against his former employer during his time at Auburn.
But this matchup might top all the rest. Even if ESPN hadn’t brought its A team for a primetime slot or parked its big red GameDay bus outside of Neville Arena this weekend, this still would be the biggest game in the history of the building.
With Tennessee at No. 6 and Auburn at No. 1, this will only be the second top-10 game the program has ever hosted.
The other one came on January 3, 1959, when No. 9 Auburn thrashed No. 8 Mississippi State by a score of 97-66. That game was at the Auburn Sports Arena — that is, before Beard-Eaves Coliseum was even a thing.
In the NCAA’s NET rankings, Tennessee is No. 4. The other three teams in the top five are teams that the Tigers have already played this season: No. 2 Duke, No. 3 Houston and No. 5 Iowa State.
All three of those games were decided by single digits, but they were all also on the road. This one won’t be for Auburn.
“I'm going to be very, very excited,” guard Denver Jones said Friday. “We've got the No. 1 fanbase on College GameDay. I feel like that's going to help us a lot. I look forward to getting a dub tomorrow.”
Even though Auburn students weren’t allowed to camp out in line this time around, because of the colder-than-usual temperatures on the Plains, the Tigers know that the atmosphere Saturday night should be at its absolute peak.
“Let’s get it, Neville,” wing Chad Baker-Mazara said. “Come on, now. Y’all already know. Top-10 matchup, can’t get more exciting than that one, for real.”
To set things up for this massive showdown between Auburn and Tennessee on Saturday night, here is this week’s edition of The Stretch 4 — which starts with the latest on the status of All-American center Johni Broome.