No. 8 Tennessee is heading to the SEC Tournament championship game for the first time since 2022 after a gritty 70-65 victory over No. 3 Auburn in the semifinals on Saturday. The fourth-seeded Volunteers (27-6) avenged both their Jan. 25 loss to the Tigers and their 2019 SEC title game defeat, setting up a showdown with No. 4 Florida for the tournament crown on Sunday.
Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler was the driving force behind the Vols’ win, scoring 20 points and making big plays down the stretch. Jordan Gainey added 15 points, while Chaz Lanier contributed 12 to help the Vols secure their fourth conference tournament final appearance in the last seven years.
The victory also strengthens Tennessee’s case for a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, with the winner of Sunday’s championship game against Florida likely securing the top spot.
Auburn (28-5), the SEC’s regular-season champion, has now lost three of its last four games heading into the NCAA Tournament. SEC Player of the Year Johni Broome led the Tigers with 23 points, while Miles Kelly added 13 and Denver Jones finished with 10.
The Tigers started strong, taking a 33-32 halftime lead after a late 10-0 run before the break. They last led at 48-47 before Tennessee seized control with a game-defining run.
Tennessee put together a 13-1 surge to take a commanding 60-49 lead, capped by a Zeigler three-pointer with 7:17 left. The Vols never trailed after that. Tennessee held a major advantage at the charity stripe, converting 25 of 27 attempts, including 18 of 20 in the second half. Auburn, meanwhile, struggled with a 13-of-22 performance from the line. Jahmai Mashack sealed the victory with a pair of free throws with 14 seconds remaining.
Auburn will await its NCAA Tournament seeding on Selection Sunday, looking to regroup after a late-season slump. Tennessee will battle Florida—who dominated No. 5 Alabama 104-82 in the other semifinal—for the SEC Tournament title. The Vols split their two regular-season meetings with the Gators, setting up an exciting rubber match with a championship and a potential No. 1 seed on the line.
