Auburn Tigers vs Tennessee Volunteers Prediction, 3/12/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Auburn Tigers vs Tennessee Volunteers

Date: Thursday, March 12, 2026

Location: Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN

TV: SEC Network

The Tennessee Volunteers (21-10) are hosting the Auburn Tigers (16-15) at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday in the SEC Tournament.

The Auburn Tigers faced off with Alabama and took a loss by a final of 96-84 in their last contest. Auburn walked away from the contest with a 50.8% field goal percentage (30 out of 59) and knocked down 8 out of their 23 shots from beyond the arc. From the charity stripe, the Tigers made 16 of 19 tries for a percentage of 84.2%. With respect to pulling down rebounds, they collected 25 with 7 of them being offensive. They also dished out 13 dimes in this contest while creating 7 turnovers and earning 5 steals. When discussing defending, Auburn allowed the other team to shoot 52.2% from the floor on 36 out of 69 shooting. Alabama dished out 12 dimes and had 6 steals for this game. Additionally, Alabama grabbed 38 boards (18 offensive, 20 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Alabama ended up shooting 65.4% at the charity stripe by making 17 of 26 attempts. They buried 7 of their 27 tries from beyond the arc. In the matter of fouls, the Tigers ended up with 18 while Alabama accumulated 18 fouls.

Kevin Overton is one guy who was a major contributor for the game. He went 60.0% from the floor and also totaled 1 assist. He played 33 minutes and pulled down 5 boards. He racked up 24 points on 9 out of 15 shooting.

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Auburn will enter this contest with a record of 16-15 on the year. They currently have an average of 83.5 points per outing (31st in the country) while connecting on 46.2% from the floor. The Tigers are connecting on 33.9% on shots from 3-point land (244 of 720) and 74.9% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Auburn is grabbing 36.1 rebounds per game and has accounted for 397 dimes this year, which is 280th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They turn it over 10.3 times per game and as a group are committing 17.4 fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Tigers have forced 11.5 turnovers per game while drawing 20.2 fouls. They are currently ranked 231st in D-1 in giving up assists with 442 relinquished for the season. The Tigers are giving up a field goal percentage of 46.6% (861 of 1,846) and they relinquish 32.7 rebounds per contest as a group. They give up 36.9% from 3-point land and they rank 336th in college hoops in PPG from their opponents (80.2).

The last time they took the court, the Tennessee Volunteers took a defeat with a final score of 86-82 when they played Vanderbilt. Regarding attacking the glass, Tennessee permitted Vanderbilt to collect 31 in all (7 offensive). They shot 50.0% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 5 out of 10 and walked away from this one shooting 27 out of 32 from the free throw line (84.4%). The Volunteers permitted Vanderbilt to knock down 27 of their 51 tries from the floor which had them sitting at 52.9% in the matchup. Overall, the Volunteers ended up shooting 31 for 70 from the floor which had them at 44.3%. In reference to shots from downtown, Tennessee made 6 of 24 tries (25.0%). They were able to knock down 14 of the free throws for a rate of 66.7%. Vanderbilt committed 19 personal fouls in this contest which took the Volunteers to the charity stripe for 21 tries. They turned it over 11 times, while getting 7 steals in the matchup. The Volunteers were able to collect 21 defensive rebounds and 17 offensive boards totaling 38 in the matchup.

Amari Evans was important for the Volunteers in this contest. He made 9 of 18 in this game for a field goal rate of 50.0%, and had 6 rebounds. He totaled 24 points in his 32 mins on the court, but finished this game without an assist.

Tennessee has a win-loss record of 21-10 for the campaign. On the offensive side of the court, the Volunteers are connecting on 46.6% from the floor, which is 102nd in college. Tennessee has accounted for 2,482 points so far this year (80.1 per contest) and they pull in 42.6 boards per contest. They are dishing out assists 17.1 times per game (30th in the nation) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.9 times per game. The Volunteers have committed 17.8 fouls per contest and they shoot 69.4% from the charity stripe.

The Tennessee defense gives up 30.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter (243 of 788) and opponents are connecting on 69.8% of their free throw shots. They surrender 10.7 dimes and 29.3 boards every game, which ranks 15th and 7th in college. The Volunteers on the defensive side of the court are 62nd in college hoops in PPG given up with 69.4. They are able to force 11.2 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 41.1% from the floor (35th in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Tennessee

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