Tennessee

Observations: Tennessee 92, Auburn 84

Published

2 years ago

February 29, 2024

Press Room

C Johni Broome (Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The calendar might have still said February, but the game might have well have been in March.

Two teams with SEC championship hopes and top-10 national rankings in the computer metrics squared off in a matchup that was absolutely massive for both sides.

Auburn needed an upset victory to stay in the title race. Tennessee needed to protect its home court in the midst of an extremely difficult finish to the regular season.

Both teams went on critical runs. Both teams hit big shots. Neither team led by double-digits at any point. The effort and intensity were as good as it gets.

But, ultimately, Tennessee had the best player out there, and Auburn couldn’t seem to find a way to slow him down in crunch time.

“Proud of the kids — it was a really good contest, two really good teams,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said after a 92-84 loss in Knoxville. “Two teams that wanted to win it really badly. We did enough things to win the game… we score 84 points on the road against a good defensive team like Tennessee, you should be able to win.”

No one had scored 90 points on Auburn this season. Only three teams had scored at least 80, and the previous season-high of 88 came against Baylor in a season opener nearly three whole months ago.

No one else had a Dalton Knecht, though. The Northern Colorado transfer-turned-SEC folk hero was the difference Wednesday night, scoring 27 of his 39 points in the second half. After missing five straight shots, he hit eight of his next nine. Auburn went from up by eight to down by five in that stretch.

“I think his getting hot was about the time we may have had our biggest lead,” Pearl said. “At the end of the day, all you can do is tip your hat. Just tip your hat.”

Auburn will definitely feel like it could have done more Wednesday night, even in a second half when it felt like Knecht could do no wrong.

And the loss will definitely sting, as the Tigers will have to win down the stretch and get a little help from somewhere else in order lock down a coveted double-bye in the SEC Tournament.

But Auburn showed it could go into a tough environment and lock horns with one of the very best teams in the country. While there are no moral victories, that should matter in a couple of weeks — when the games become do-or-die postseason battles.

Here are four Observations from Auburn’s 92-84 road loss at Tennessee, along with the Rotation Charts, Nerd Stats and the Quote of the Night.

There was definitely an element of Knecht’s performance that made it feel like it just wasn’t Auburn’s night.

Knecht hit several jumpers with taller defenders such as Johni Broome and Jaylin Williams playing in seemingly perfect position. He was tough to slow down when he took it to the basket. He went 5-8 from deep, and the majority of those were well-contested.

But Pearl has a higher standard for his defense, one that has been excellent in almost every single game this season.

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Tennessee

Has Tennessee ever made a Final Four? Vols hope third time’s a charm under Barnes

Published

11 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Has Tennessee ever made a Final Four? Vols hope third time’s a charm under Barnes

For the third straight season, Rick Barnes has Tennessee basketball in the Elite Eight. After Sunday, March 29’s game against No. 1 Michigan, he’s hoping to have taken the Vols where they’ve never been before.

Despite becoming a March Madness fixture, the Tennessee Vols have never, in their history, made the Final Four. Despite a pedigree of modest success, including 11 regular season SEC titles and and five conference tournament championships (most recently in 2022), Tennessee has not been able to cross the threshold to college basketball’s most coveted weekend.

The Barnes era marks the closest Tennessee has come, with consistency, even though its best shot arguably came before Barnes’ time. The Vols’ first Elite Eight trip was under Bruce Pearl in 2010, while Barnes was still roaming the Longhorns bench in Texas.

Barnes has taken Tennessee to the 2024, 2025, and 2026 Elite Eights. There’s an argument to be made 2026 is his most impressive run yet, as a No. 6 seed in the Midwest bracket.

The Vols went as a No. 2 seed in both 2024 and 2025, ultimately losing to the No. 1 seeds of their respective brackets in the Elite Eight. While it could be easy to think it will be more of the same Sunday against No. 1 Michigan, Tennessee has now taken down No. 3 Virginia and No. 2 Iowa State to get to this point. So perhaps one more upset is in store.

Has Tennessee basketball ever made a Final Four?

Tennessee has not made a Final Four in its history, making it one of five SEC schools to not get to the national semifinal round.

The others are Missouri, Mississippi, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt. Alabama basketball made its first Final Four in 2024.

Tennessee basketball Elite Eight record

The Vols are 0-4 in the Elite Eight, with losses in 2010, 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Here’s a look at their full history in the fourth full round of the tournament.

2010: No. 5 Michigan State 70, No. 6 Tennessee 69
2024: No. 1 Purdue 72, No. 2 Tennessee 66
2025: No. 1 Houston 69, No. 2 Tennessee 50
2026: TBD, vs. No. 1 Michigan

Rick Barnes Elite Eight record

Barnes is not just defined by his career at Tennessee. He does have a Final Four appearance, winning his first Elite Eight game with Texas in 2003. Since then, though, he is 0-4 in the Elite Eight, with two losses at both Texas and Tennessee.

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Tennessee

Tennessee football gets commitment from WR Kesean Bowman

Published

23 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee football gets commitment from WR Kesean Bowman

Tennessee football and coach Josh Heupel picked up a commitment from Brentwood Academy four-star wide receiver Kesean Bowman on March 28 while he was visiting the school.

Bowman narrowed his list to Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, Alabama and Miami on March 2. All five schools were among his top 10 he acknowledged on Oct. 30. Texas, LSU, USC, Texas A&M and Oregon were among the schools left off his list.

The 6-foot, 174-pound Bowman is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the state for the 2027 class. He is the No. 6 wide receiver nationally, according to 247Sports Composite. He has more than 35 other offers. He decommitted from Oregon last September, more than two months after committing to the Ducks.

Bowman was a Division II-AAA Mr. Football semifinalist, who caught 49 passes for 665 yards and 11 TDs, during BA’s 2025 state runner-up season. He also had a rushing TD and was named the DII-AAA West Region Offensive MVP. He was named to The Tennessean’s 2025 All Midstate Large Class football team and is a Middle Tennessee Sports Awards offensive football player of the year nominee.

Bowman helped BA finish 11-1 in 2025, losing to Baylor in the DII-AAA state championship game.

Tennessee and Heupel have also offered Brentwood Academy offensive tackle Rance Brown, a 6-6, 290-pound lineman who transferred from Southside (Alabama). The Vols are pursuing BA junior four-star linebacker Kenneth Simon II as well.

Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.

He also contributes to The Tennessean’s high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.

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Tennessee

What are the Titans’ top remaining needs ahead of 2026 NFL Draft?

Published

1 day ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

What are the Titans’ top remaining needs ahead of 2026 NFL Draft?

The Tennessee Titans have made some improvements throughout the offseason and appear better positioned heading into the draft than they were in 2024, with added depth on both sides of the ball.

Yet, even with the added talent, they still have multiple needs they must continue to address to help both now and in the future, and another solid draft would go a long way in finding a sustainable path forward. Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated looked at the roster and saw some of the same things as he broke down their remaining needs heading into the draft.

Tennessee Titans
Draft needs: RB, WR, edge, S
The running back duo of Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears hasn’t been a productive one. Cam Ward desperately needs a game-changer at one of the skill positions. Newcomer wideout Wan’Dale Robinson doesn’t exactly fit that bill, but he’ll make life easier for the second-year quarterback.
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With Robert Saleh now the head coach in Tennessee, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Titans used the No. 4 pick on one of the top edge rushers.

There is no doubt that the Titans should add some playmakers in this draft class, and they shouldn’t bank on hitting a dynamic playmaker in the fourth round again. Tennessee could definitely use a premium pick on at least one or possibly two offensive weapons.

Tennessee also must invest in the interior of the offensive line to help Cam Ward and the offense. While it’s true that Pollard and Spears did not blow the doors off the running game, they were also hampered by subpar play along the offensive line for the past two seasons, after line guru Bill Callahan failed to transform the Titans’ line into a consistent unit. It wasn’t until after he and his son Brian Callahan left that the play-calling for the running game took off.

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