University of Tennessee Athletics
The @Vol_Hoops Report: Jan. 29
January 29, 2015 | Men's Basketball
The Tennessee basketball teams begins a critical, two-game homestand Saturday when it hosts Auburn for a noon showdown at Thompson-Boling Arena.
A limited number of tickets remain available by calling 1-800-332-8657 or visiting www.UTtix.com. The UT Ticket Office opens Saturday at 9 a.m. ET
The Volunteers (12-7, 4-3 SEC) are coming off back-to-back losses for the first time since November, but head coach Donnie Tyndall said Thursday that he believed his squad will bounce back and be ready to compete for 40 minutes against the Tigers Saturday.
Tyndall has been pleased with how the Vols have handled adversity the past week, which included setbacks against Texas A&M and Arkansas.
"I think this group has high character," Tyndall said. "So guys aren't pointing the finger, they aren't placing blame. They're just willing to get better in the film room and then get to the practice floor and improve."
One Vol who's shown great improvement in recent weeks is sophomore guard Robert Hubbs III. The Newbern, Tenn., native is averaging 10.0 points and 3.9 rebounds in SEC play.
Hubbs also is shooting .435 from 3-point range in league play and is coming off consecutive games with 10 or more points for first time in his career.
"He is definitely turning the corner," Tyndall said, referring to Hubbs' recent uptick following a slow start to the season.
"And I think a large part of that is that Robert is so coachable. When things weren't going his way (early in the year), his attitude didn't go south. He didn't have bad body language. He kept grinding, and eventually he's turned the corner. We need him to keep grinding and continuing to improve. And I think that's in Robert's make-up."
ABOUT AUBURN
Auburn is 10-10 (2-5 SEC) in its first season under head coach Bruce Pearl, who coached the Vols for six seasons from 2005-11, posting a 145-61 (.704) record.
The Tigers boast a +2.1 turnover margin and scored non-conference wins over Oregon State and Xavier. Their SEC wins have come against Missouri and South Carolina.
"They can really score in bunches," Tyndall said. "They're very dangerous when they get it going. They play with a swagger and with a freedom offensively that really scares you.
"Defensively, they're going to press you. It may not be trap after trap, but they're going to really try to create turnovers in regard to denying the ball inbounds. And then in the half court, they play really solid man-to-man."
Auburn big man Cinmeon Bowers leads the SEC in rebounding with 11.2 rpg. He grabs 4.1 offensive rebounds per game and also averages 13.5 points.
Tigers senior guard KT Harrell ranks second in the SEC in scoring with 17.1 points per game. He has scored 25.6 percent of Auburn's points this season.
"It's just a tough league game against a tough opponent that's well coached," Tyndall said. "I think it will be a great atmosphere."
No player on Tennessee's current roster has ever experienced a loss to Auburn.
Tennessee has won five straight games over teams whose mascot is a Tiger. That includes wins this season over Texas Southern, Tennessee State and Missouri. In home games, the Vols are riding a streak off eight consecutive victories over "Tiger" teams, dating to the 2012-13 campaign.
THIRD ANNUAL BIG 12/SEC CHALLENGE DATE SET
ESPN announced Thursday that all 10 games of next season's Big 12/SEC Challengewill be held on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. ESPN, ESPN2 andESPNU will combine to televise every game of the third annual event matching all 10 of the Big 12 members against 10 teams from the SEC.Each conference will host five games, with matchups and participating teams from the SEC to be determined.
"Moving the Big 12/SEC Challenge later in the season will raise the profile of this event and give our coaches, student-athletes and fans the attention that it deserves," SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said.
This season'sChallenge, which saw the Big 12 win six of the matchups, was contested between from Dec. 3-6. The inaugural event in 2013, won by the Big 12 with seven victories,was played across various dates in November and December.
For 2015-16, both conferences are creating a common open date duringconference play to showcase theChallenge, withlate January (or early February)becoming a fixture moving forward.
Tennessee won its Challenge game this season, defeating Kansas State 65-64 Dec. 6 in Knoxville.
ESPN2 DESIGNATED AS TV NETWORK FOR GEORGIA GAME
ESPN announced Thursday that Tennessee's Feb. 7 game at Georgia has been designated to air on ESPN2.
Tipoff remains set for noon ET.
As with every SEC game, fans also can access a live stream of the telecast via the WatchESPN app.
