No. 2 Auburn closes the gap on No. 1 Tennessee as the SEC holds 5 of top 7 spots in AP Top 25

Tennessee held onto No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the second consecutive week, though No. 2 Auburn closed the gap as the top five remained unchanged in the men's college basketball poll Monday. The Volunteers received 50 first-place votes from the national media panel after wins over Miami and Illinois pushed coach Rick Barnes' program to 10-0 for only the fifth time in school history. Auburn picked up nine first-place votes from last week and had 12 total.

Gainey and No. 1 Tennessee host Western Carolina

Western Carolina Catamounts (3-6) at Tennessee Volunteers (10-0) Knoxville, Tennessee; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: No. Tennessee faces Western Carolina after Jordan Gainey scored 23 points in Tennessee's 66-64 win over the Illinois Fighting Illini.