Auburn, Tennessee meet in SEC finals
Auburn (25-9, 14-7) vs. Tennessee (29-4, 17-3)
Southeastern Conference Tourney Championship, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee; Sunday, 12 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Auburn and Tennessee are set to do battle in the Championship of the SEC tournament. The only regular season meeting came on March 9, when the Tigers forced 13 Tennessee turnovers and turned the ball over just five times en route to an 84-80 victory.
STEPPING UP: Tennessee’s Grant Williams has averaged 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds while Admiral Schofield has put up 16.6 points and 6.2 rebounds. For the Tigers, Jared Harper has averaged 15.4 points and 5.8 assists while Chuma Okeke has put up 11.6 points and 6.6 rebounds.
JUMPING FOR JARED: Harper has connected on 38.7 percent of the 225 3-pointers he’s attempted and has gone 9 for 20 over the last three games. He’s also made 81.6 percent of his foul shots this season.
UNDEFEATED WHEN: Tennessee is a perfect 26-0 when it holds an opponent to 81 points or fewer. The Volunteers are 3-4 when opponents score more than 81 points.
THREAT FROM DISTANCE: Auburn’s Bryce Brown has attempted 292 3-pointers and connected on 40.1 percent of them, and is 13 for 33 over his last three games.
TENACIOUS TIGERS: Auburn has forced opponents into committing turnovers on 25.7 percent of all possessions this year, the highest rate among all Division I teams. That figure’s climbed to 25.9 during the team’s seven-game winning streak.
