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Bruce Pearl receives warm welcome in return to Knoxville; Auburn falls to Tennessee

Randy Sartin / Reuters

Tennessee forward Armani Moore scored a career-high 19 points and matched a career-high in rebounds with 13 as the Volunteers took down Auburn, 71-63 on Saturday.

The result of the game was, however, overshadowed by the return of Bruce Pearl to Thompson-Boling Arena.

Saturday's game marked the first time Pearl, now the coach at Auburn, faced Tennessee since re-joining the coaching ranks this season. In each of his six seasons in Knoxville, Pearl led the Volunteers to NCAA Tournament appearances.

The crowd chanted "Bruce" as Pearl walked onto the court, this time wearing a blue blazer, rather than the orange one he wore while at Tennessee.

Bruce Pearl arrives on the court

The fans in attendance did give current Tennessee head coach Donnie Tyndall a louder ovation when he walked onto the court. The fans also chanted Tyndall's name after the win.

The loss is Auburn's fourth in a row, dropping the Tigers' conference record to 2-6.

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