Even Bruce Pearl's return to Rocky Top couldn't end Auburn's road woes.
The Tigers (10-11, 2-6 SEC) shot 44 percent from the field and spent much of the game with the lead, but wore down late, eventually falling 71-63.
It's the Tigers' fourth consecutive loss and drops Auburn to 0-7 on the road this season.
"I'm trying to build a foundation," Pearl said. "We're going to do the best we can with what we have. Our kids had a chance to win on the road in the SEC. That's the second time where we've had a chance to win on the road in the SEC, so we've made progress."
Leading scorer KT Harrell scored 16 points in the loss while Tahj Shamsid-Deen added 14 points despite nagging shoulder injuries.
The Tigers led for much of the first half, but the Volunteers (13-7, 5-3 SEC) went on a 14-5 run to grab a 33-29 lead at the break.
There were eight lead changes between the teams and the game was tied on 10 different occasions.
Auburn led 52-49 at the 10:50 following a 3-pointer from Antoine Mason, but the Volunteers responded with an 11-0 run.
Freshman center Trayvon Reed was ejected in the second half after receiving a flagrant 2 foul, his second technical of the game. The Tigers were leading by five at the time of Reed's ejection.
"I just told the referee that he's tall," Harrell said. "He can't get too low to stop a guy. He didn't do it on purpose."
The Tigers would cut the lead down to four points with two minutes remaining, but were never able to overcome the deficit.
After the game, Pearl said he thought heavy minutes for the starters wore his team down at the end.
"I was disappointed that we weren't able to finish the job," Pearl said. "I thought we played well in stretches, but Tennessee made those effort and energy plays. They're a very athletic team."
Cinmeon Bowers scored 13 points and hauled in eight rebounds. Mason contributed 14 points.
For the Volunteers, Armani Moore scored 19 points and brought down 13 rebounds. Kevin Punter scored 17 points and hit three 3-pointers.
Auburn's next opportunity to snap their road losing streak comes on Feb. 5 when the Tigers head to LSU (16-4, 5-2 SEC). Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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