Life on the road in the SEC has been tough for Tennessee. It will face its toughest test yet Saturday night.

The No. 6 Vols, who responded to their second road loss in league play at Vanderbilt last week with a nearly complete performance in their win over Mississippi State Tuesday, play No. 1 Auburn at Neville Arena in one of the biggest games in college basketball this weekend (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

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Tennessee (17-2, 4-2 SEC) has lost four-straight on the Tigers' home floor, including a 79-70 defeat in its last visit two years ago, but is looking to change its fortunes in a game with heavy conference title implications.

Auburn (17-1, 5-0) is the last unbeaten team in the SEC and though the status of its best player in forward Johni Broome remains uncertain on the eve of the match up, the Tigers have had nearly a full week to rest after escaping Georgia's upset bid last a week ago.

Here is everything you need to know about the match up.

Who: No. 6 Tennessee (17-2, 4-2 SEC) at No. 1 Auburn (17-1, 5-0)

When: Saturday, Jan. 25 | 8:30 p.m. ET

Where: Neville Arena | Auburn, Alabama

TV: ESPN (Dan Shulman, play-by-play; Jay Bilas, analyst; Jess Sims, reporter)

Radio: Vol Network (Bob Kesling, play-by-play; Bert Bertelkamp, analyst)

Series: 127th meeting all-time (Tennessee leads, 81-45)

Line: Auburn, -6.5

KenPom Projection: Auburn 75, Tennessee 67

POINTS PER GAME

Auburn 85.7

Tennessee 76.4

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE

Auburn 50.2%

Tennessee 45.9%

THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE

Auburn 38.2%

Tennessee 34.9%

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ASSISTS

Auburn 17.4

Tennessee 16.1

REBOUNDS

Tennessee 38.5

Auburn 38.1

BLOCKS

Auburn 7.1

Tennessee 5.2

-- Tennessee has lost four-straight at Auburn dating back to 2018-19 but has won three of the last four in the series. Dalton Knecht tied a career-high in scoring with 39 points, including 27 in the second half as the Vols came from behind to beat the Tigers, 92-84 in Knoxville.

-- Tennessee had two key contributors listed on the initial availability report. Guard Jordan Gainey, who has been the first player off of the bench for the Vols and averages 11.2 points per game, is listed as "questionable" with flu-like symptoms. Starting forward Igor Milicic Jr. is "probable" after being limited in practice late in the week.

-- Tennessee and Auburn are meeting as ranked teams for the fifth time in the last nine meetings. Both teams were ranked in the AP Top 25 at the time of the match up just twice in the first 85 games of the series. Saturday will mark the 11th-straight meeting where at least one time is ranked in the poll.

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-- Tennessee is looking for its third road win over an AP No. 1 team in program history. The Vols previously beat top-ranked South Carolina, 55-54 on Dec. 6, 1969 and No. 1 Memphis, 66-62 at FedEx Forum on Feb. 23, 2008.

-- Auburn has been without star forward Johni Broome for its last two games. Broome, who exited the Tigers' 66-63 win at South Carolina on Jan. 11 with an ankle injury, was listed as "questionable" on the availability report Friday. He is averaging 17.9 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.

-- Auburn will be led by Bruce Pearl, who was the head coach at Tennessee for six seasons between 2005-11, against the Vols for the 16th time. The Tigers finished 27-8 in Pearl's 11th season in 2023-24 and won the SEC Tournament title. They were picked second in the league's preseason media poll.

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