NASHVILLE | Auburn left no doubt in Nashville.

In front of a partisan Tennessee crowd at Bridgestone Arena, the Tigers dominated from the get-go, beating the Volunteers 84-64 to win their first SEC Tournament championship since 1985 and second in school history, denying the Volunteers their first since 1979.

"It means a lot," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl told ESPN. "I’m a big fan of history. I’ve got guys like Charles Barkley that are calling me, and they’re celebrating right now. Big Chuck, this one’s for you, baby, and all those former players.

"This championship means more because of the unbelievable competition that we had to go through."

Auburn improves to 26-9, tying last year’s team for the second-most wins in program history, and will enter the NCAA Tournament on an eight-game winning streak and undefeated in March.

Auburn made 10 of 20 3-pointers in the second half, building a 23-point lead and maintaining at least a 15-point lead for the final 14 minutes.

Bryce Brown led the Tigers with 19 points, making 5 of 10 3-pointers. Chuma Okeke added 18 points and Danjel Purifoy a season-high 10.

Jared Harper who sat out 18 minutes of the first half with two early fouls, had nine points and six assists. Brown, Okeke and Harper were all named the the All-Tournament team, Brown was named MVP.

"Us as brothers, we’ve been through so much. Us seniors, our job is to lead this team. We came from the bottom," Bryce Brown told ESPN.

The Tigers out-rebounded UT 39-33 and held a 30-10 advantage in points off the bench. AU shot 15 of 40 from 3-point range and made 17 of 21 free throws.

Auburn built a 13-point lead with a 16-0 first-half run as Tennessee went 0 of 9 from the floor and committed seven turnovers during a 6:52 stretch. The Volunteers were able to cut the lead to 32-23 at the break as AU missed its final seven shots.

Auburn’s next game will be in the NCAA Tournament. The full 68-team field will be announced at 5 p.m. CT on CBS.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Chuma Okeke shot 6 of 13 from the floor and 5 of 9 from 3-point range to score 18. He added 13 rebounds, three steals and one blocked shot.

PLAY OF THE GAME: After Tennessee cut Auburn’s lead to seven points to open the second half, the Tigers responded with three-straight 3-pointers, the first two by Okeke and the third by Malik Dunbar to jumpstart a 22-6 run as Auburn built a 23-point lead.

STAT OF THE DAY: Auburn forced 17 Tennessee turnovers including 12 in the first half. The Tigers scored 21 points off those turnovers.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Bruce Pearl to ESPN: "You got to show them the plan, they’ve got to believe in the plan, they’ve got to trust each other and they’ve got to give God all the glory. That’s the formula we try to use. I’m happy for Auburn, I’m happy for our president, Dr. Leath, our athletic director, Allen Greene, I’m happy for my kids, my coaches and more than anything the Auburn family. We’ve worked really hard for this."