Despite its struggles, Auburn made the right plays down the stretch. The Tigers went on a 6-0 run to close the game and forced Tennessee to miss six of its final seven shots to close the game. Jordan Mendoza of USA TODAY Sports says that Auburn’s win over the Volunteers proved that the Tigers have a “firm grasp on top of the sport” as the calendar flips to February in the weekly winners and losers feature.

Auburn basketball and the Tennessee Volunteers became the Saturday heavyweight battle on the hardwood. Both Southeastern Conference rivals entered ranked inside the top 10. The Tigers had fans posted “WAR DAMN EAGLE” after the game — as Auburn survived 53-51 in a defensive slugfest.