The Tennessee Volunteers, ranked second nationally, narrowly defeated the 25th-ranked Auburn Tigers with a final score of 46-43. The Volunteers now hold an impressive record of 20-1, while the Tigers fall to a still respectable tally of 15-6.

Feb 4, 2023; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers forward Olivier Nkamhoua (13) goes to the basket against Auburn Tigers forward Johni Broome (4) during the first half at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

In a game characterized by staunch defense and low shooting percentages, the Tennessee Volunteers managed to secure a hard-fought victory on their home court at Thompson-Boling Arena. Despite both teams struggling offensively, it was the Volunteers who emerged victorious in this conference showdown.

The Tennessee squad's performance was marked by their ability to maintain control of the rebounds with a total count of 47 compared to Auburn's 42. The offensive boards saw the Volunteers grab 12 rebounds which contributed significantly to their second-chance points tallying up to 10. On defense, they were slightly more dominant than their opponents with a total of 31 defensive rebounds.

Feb 4, 2023; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers forward Julian Phillips (2) defends Auburn Tigers guard Allen Flanigan (22) during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Shooting from both sides was less than ideal; however, Tennessee managed slightly better accuracy from within the arc hitting at about 36 percent for two-point attempts. Their three-point efforts were not as successful though, making only two out of twenty-one attempts which rounds up to approximately nine percent success rate.

Assists were another area where Tennessee showed superiority with eleven assists over Auburn's five. This facilitated ball movement and created scoring opportunities despite tight defensive pressure from both ends. The assist-to-turnover ratio for Tennessee stood at around one point two-two indicating better ball handling under pressure compared to Auburn's zero point five ratio.

Feb 4, 2023; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Santiago Vescovi (25) rebounds the ball against the Auburn Tigers during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Auburn Tigers did show some resilience particularly in generating points off turnovers and fast break situations where they scored eight and thirteen respectively. Their free throw percentage was notably higher than that of Tennessee at approximately seventy-four percent but it wasn't enough to close down or overtake the lead held by the home team throughout most parts of this encounter.

As for individual performances on both sides, there were no standout scorers due largely in part to stringent defenses but teamwork seemed to be key especially for Tennessee whose collective effort across various statistical categories helped them clinch this win in front of an attendance matching Thompson-Boling Arena’s full capacity crowd.

Looking ahead after this gripping contest between conference rivals, fans can anticipate another exciting matchup as the Tennessee Volunteers are set next against Vanderbilt Commodores at Memorial Gymnasium on February ninth at seven PM Eastern Time. This game will be broadcasted nationally on SEC Network channel six hundred eleven ensuring fans won’t miss any action from Nashville.

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