Auburn forward Sebastian Williams-Adams (33) guards Tennessee forward Jaylen Carey (23) during day two of the 2026 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday, March 12, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. NASHVILLE – Nate Ament led No. 25 Tennessee in points (27), rebounds (8), assists (4) and blocks (3) in a comeback performance as the Volunteers’ late 20-0 run led them to a 72-62 win over Auburn in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Thursday.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 15 points and a team-leading three steals for fifth-seeded Tennessee (22-10), while Ament returned after missing the previous two games with a leg injury.
Tahad Pettiford scored 28 points but also committed five turnovers for the 12th-seeded Tigers (17-16).
Tennessee trailed for most of the game, but came up on defense late, and the Vols’ full-court man made it difficult for the Tigers to get a decent shot.
One good look the Tigers got during a 20-0 run was the front end of a missed one-and-one by Keyshawn Hall with 4:27 left. Auburn went scoreless for 7:36, missed seven straight shots and committed four turnovers during the drought.
The offense began as the Volunteers got eight straight points from Ament and tied the game for the first time since 16:24 left in the first half when Gillespie hit a fastbreak layup on an Ament assist on a possession that started on a Felix Okpara block.
After an Auburn timeout, Amari Evans hit a free throw with 6:30 remaining to give Tennessee the lead.
Auburn turned it over and Jaylen Carey returned his own fumble to extend the lead to three.
A Gillespie steal and fast-break layup led to another Auburn timeout with 5:31 remaining. The Tigers never got closer again.
Auburn, not known for its defense, held Gillespie to three points and Tennessee to 37 percent shooting to take a 32-25 halftime lead. The Tigers also outscored the Volunteers 21-15 in the first period.
Pettiford (16 points in the first half) hit a turnaround jumper with 3:12 left in the first half to give Auburn its largest lead of the game at 29-18.
Tennessee plays No. 4 seed Vanderbilt (24-7) in the quarterfinals on Friday in a rematch of last Saturday’s regular season finale, which the Commodores won.
The Tigers await their NCAA Tournament fate. According to ESPN’s brackets, Auburn had the first team in the latest update prior to this loss.
The loss dropped the Tigers to 4-13 in Quad 1 games. No team with 16 losses like Auburn this season has ever earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
– Chris Lee, Field Level Media
