South Eastern Conference title chase comes down to final day
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.— One of the most improbable Southeastern Conference title chases in league history is coming down to the final day of the regular season.
No. 14 Auburn hasn't made the NCAA Tournament since 2003 for the longest drought of any SEC team, yet the Tigers are one win away from clinching at least a share of the league championship. Auburn is tied for first place with Tennessee, which was picked before the season to finish next-to-last in the league standings.
"That's why you play the game," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "Let's let these kids decide. Don't put a crown on anybody before you get out there and actually put the balls out there and see what's up. That's what we've done all season long, and that's what Tennessee has done."
Auburn (24-6, 12-5 SEC) hosts South Carolina (16-14, 7-10) on Saturday while Tennessee (22-7, 12-5) hosts Georgia (16-13, 7-10). If there's a tie for first place, Auburn would get the No. 1 seed in next week's SEC Tournament by virtue of its 94-84 victory at Tennessee on Jan. 2.
The Vols have won three straight and 10 of their last 12 games. Now the Vols just need to solve Georgia, which has beaten Tennessee five straight times.
"Our team is starting to get it rolling," Tennessee forward Admiral Schofield said Tuesday after a 76-54 triumph at Mississippi State. "We're maturing."
Tennessee has reached the NCAA Tournament just once in the six seasons since Pearl's exit but has assured itself of a bid this year. Tennessee coach Rick Barnes has built a winning program without a single player who was rated as a top-125 prospect according to a composite ranking of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports.
The SEC's preseason media poll had Auburn finishing ninth and Tennessee 13th out of 14 teams. Now at least one of them will win the league title.
"I think that the common denominator (is) both those teams play hard," Pearl said. "Both those teams are never out. They bring it every night, and I think that's what's allowed Auburn and Tennessee to sort of survive the grind of the best conference in college basketball, with (this being) the best the SEC has been in I don't know how many years, bottom to top."