University of Tennessee Athletics
Auburn-Tennessee Preview
February 19, 2008 | Men's Basketball
It seems the college basketball world is focused on Saturday night's matchup between the top two teams in the country.
But if you ask Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl, his team's game against Auburn on Wednesday in Knoxville is just as important.
The second-ranked Volunteers hope to move one step closer to their first outright SEC title in 41 years when they host the Tigers.
Tennessee obtained its highest ranking in school history just in time to face the one team ranked higher - unbeaten and No. 1 Memphis - in a nonconference showdown on Saturday.
But Pearl will try to keep his team focused Wednesday as the Volunteers (23-2, 10-1) look to win their eighth straight game overall and 30th in a row at home while finishing the season 6-0 against SEC West teams.
Tennessee hasn't started 11-1 in SEC play since the 1976-77 season and hasn't won an outright regular-season league title since 10 years before that, but both goals are within reach. The Vols lead second-place Mississippi State by 1 1/2 games with five conference games left.
"We're trying to do something that hasn't been done in 41 years and that's outright win an SEC championship," Pearl said. "What Memphis has done to build this streak is take it one game at a time. We're going to have to do the same thing."
The Vols have won 18 of 19, including 74-71 at Georgia on Saturday, as Chris Lofton scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half.
Lofton, a preseason All-American who struggled for much of the first half of the season, has scored 20 or more points in six of his last eight games. He's shot 51.0 percent from the field over that span after shooting just 34.5 percent up to that point. Lofton's also made 50.0 percent (36-of-72) of his 3-point attempts over the last eight contests.
"That's why he's an All-American," Pearl said Saturday. "No question, Chris Lofton willed this win. Chris Lofton put this team on his shoulders in the second half. We were not going to leave this building without a win, and Chris Lofton saw to that."
While the Volunteers have eked out a few road wins recently, they've been dominant at home while running their win streak to 29 at Thompson-Boling Arena. They average more than 90 points at home, and they've won each of their last four SEC home games by at least 16.
Auburn (13-10, 3-7) snapped a five-game skid with a 90-78 win at Mississippi on Saturday. The Tigers shot a season-best 62.7 percent and scored a season high in points, getting 25 from senior Quan Prowell and a career-high 23 from sophomore DeWayne Reed.
Quantez Robertson added seven points, eight rebounds and 10 assists, while Frank Tolbert and Rasheem Barrett each had 15 points.
"I was proud of my team," Auburn coach Jeff Lebo said. "Offensively, we were outstanding."
Prowell had 21 points and eight rebounds while Tolbert had 24 points as Auburn upset then-No. 22 Tennessee last season, winning 83-80 at home after trailing by nine at the half.
The Tigers, though, have lost their last four games in Knoxville since a 74-69 win during the 1997-98 season.
