There will come a time when Rick Barnes is no longer our coach, riding off into an orange sunset, maybe some gold around the edges. Whenever that happens, we’ll hope whoever is next can continue the program’s momentum.

And because of Rick Barnes and Bruce Pearl, we’ll know such a thing is possible.

Difficult, perhaps. Rare, I hope not. But for Tennessee to live at this level under multiple head coaches? I know that’s possible. And I wasn’t sure it was 11 years ago.

Man, we had fun when Pearl was here. There were so many great days to be a Tennessee Vol.

And man, today was so much fun. And it’s been so much fun for a long time now.

They seem so different, Pearl and Barnes, that sometimes it feels like there’s nothing to do but compare them directly. And in part, that’s the nature of the game: there are winners and losers every time it’s tipped. Pearl and Auburn had won six in a row in this series, though this was the first one in Knoxville during that span to really carry this kind of weight. And what both Pearl and Barnes have done these last five seasons is both remarkable and incredibly similar.

But today, Knoxville was indeed a difference maker:

And today was indeed a great day to be a Tennessee Vol, a great day for our head coach, and for everyone on this roster, because they all did their part.

I thought this game was a great representation of both of these coaches, and the teams who reflect them so well. Auburn was confident, and they forced Tennessee turnovers both early and (very) late. Our season-high for giveaways is 20 at Rupp Arena, then 18 vs Villanova and 18 in the overtime win against Ole Miss. It has been synonymous with some of our worst basketball, cutting the legs out from underneath our defense. And Auburn’s final flourish left us sitting on 18 today as well.

But Tennessee remained steady. It’s a reflection of who they are, even in the face of significant adversity. Auburn led 39-28 with 16:42 to go. The Vol run from there was beautiful, from Brandon Huntley-Hatfield’s three and putback dunk, to Zakai Zeigler’s three to tie it, to Kennedy Chandler’s steady attack at the rim. But the constant is Tennessee’s defense: during that stretch, Auburn went nine-and-a-half minutes without making a shot.

When things got unclogged a bit, it was Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James hitting back-to-back threes to keep Tennessee in front. When we suddenly needed another bucket, it was Kennedy Chandler again. And at the end of the night, it was John Fulkerson and his game-high nine rebounds leading one of our most sacred traditions:

Everyone who played for Tennessee scored. It came, in part, through some of what Auburn has hurt us with: a massive 54-31 edge on the glass, including 21 offensive rebounds for the Vols. When you go at Walker Kessler and Jabari Smith, you need every opportunity. And today: Huntley-Hatfield with eight boards, Uros Plavsic with seven, Jonas Aidoo with five, Josiah-Jordan James with nine to match Fulky. Jabari Smith was incredible with 27 points and eight boards. But the Vols held Walker Kessler to just eight and five.

Tennessee’s most magic number remains shooting 29+% from three. The volume was less today, but they still hit it at 6-of-16 (37.5%). The Vols are now 19-1 when they shoot 29% or better from the arc, with it still requiring Kentucky’s Rupp Arena performance to vanquish them at that level.

But several of Tennessee’s other key stats didn’t go all in our favor: 18 turnovers, just 32.8% from the floor overall thanks to Auburn’s shot-blocking presence. The Tigers had just a dozen turnovers overall, which is normally Tennessee’s greatest strength. But nine of those came in the second half.

This probably wasn’t Tennessee’s best basketball; Auburn gets some credit for that. So did Arizona for much of what transpired in the second half of that game. And yet, the Vols still came out on top in the end against two potential number one seeds.

Tennessee moves to 21-7 (12-4), and we’re headed for the dramatic to finish league play next week. Win at Georgia on Tuesday, and the Vols will tip-off against Arkansas next Saturday still alive in the race for the SEC title. Auburn is at Mississippi State (Wednesday 9:00 PM), then hosts South Carolina an hour after the Vols and Razorbacks begin on Saturday.

We’ll spend plenty of time talking about Tennessee’s resume, because it is indeed worth it. There’s so much still to play for.

But this was a great day for Tennessee basketball. I’m so thankful for the past. And I’m so grateful for the present.

Go Vols.