Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl isn’t the only coach on campus that has his team on a tear heading into SEC play.

While he and the Tigers’ men’s basketball team have strung together an 11-2 record and a six-game win streak, Auburn’s women’s basketball team as put together an identical record with an eight-game win streak that dates back to Nov. 26.

Harris and the Tigers’ biggest win of the season came on Dec. 20 as they knocked off the Washington State Cougars, who rank inside the top 20 of the NCAA’s NET rankings.

“This is as athletic as a team as she’s had,” said Pearl of Harris’ 2023-24 roster. “They’re quick. She’s got some size on the front line.”

And like Pearl and the men’s team, Harris and the women’s team also open conference play this week.

Before Pearl and his squad head to Arkansas for Saturday afternoon’s Tigers-Razorbacks matchup, Harris and her squad host the Tennessee Lady Vols.

While Tennessee enters Thursday night’s matchup with a less-than-impressive-sounding 7-5 record, the Lady Vols are coming off a staunch non-conference slate that featured games against five ranked opponents. Tennessee went 1-4 against teams in the top 25 with its lone ranked win coming against No. 20 Oklahoma.

Much of Tennessee’s struggles can be attributed to the lack of availability of senior forward and projected WNBA lottery pick Rickea Jackson, who suffered a lower-leg injury early in the season. She has since returned to the Lady Vols’ starting lineup and is coming of a 21-point game at Liberty.

Though the Lady Vols have slipped out of the top 25 after starting the season there, their visit to The Plains on Thursday night will still serve as a great measuring stick for Harris and the Tigers, who are looking to keep it rolling into SEC play — something Auburn hasn’t been able to do in recent years, despite strong starts to non-conference play.

In the 2022-23 season, Harris and the Tigers opened the season 10-2, but then proceeded to lose six consecutive conference games to open SEC play. Auburn finished 5-11 in the league.

“She’s been so short-handed the couple of years, it’s been a talent mismatch,” Pearl said. “She’s got an SEC-talent roster right now. She’s got some balance inside and out and some kids that are hard to cover and they’re playing well together.”

Tennessee boasts a lopsided 48-12 series advantage over Auburn, including a 15-6 advantage when the Lady Vols come to The Plains.

However, Auburn protected its home floor the last time Tennessee came to town as the Tigers stunned the then-fourth-ranked Lady Vols 71-61 on Jan. 27, 2022.

“Excited for tonight’s game,” said Pearl, who coached Tennessee’s men’s team from 2005-11. “Last time Tennessee came in here, they lost. See if we can repeat that again.”