Intertwined with all the football regalia, a massive panoramic picture taken from the upper deck of Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum hangs inside the Auburn Athletic Complex, serving as the everlasting artifact from arguably the most important game in Auburn women’s basketball history.

A little more than one year ago today, Auburn routed a rebuilding Tennessee team, 82-68, before a Coliseum record 12,067 fans. It served as, perhaps, the top highlight of last year’s magical run through the SEC.

The Tigers and Volunteers, who face off tonight in Knoxville, are in completely different places than they were last year at this time, but the Auburn women’s basketball program is still feeling the impact of that one historic Sunday.

“That’s one of the defining moments in a program’s history,” coach Nell Fortner said. “It was a defining moment for this coaching staff.”

It has also made a major impact on recruiting and overall attendance, Fortner said.

It’s no secret that this year has been a rebuilding season for the Tigers (11-9, 2-5), who head into tonight’s game losers of three straight.

Typically at Auburn, fans have only shown up when the team is riding a hot streak like last year’s, but the support, while nowhere near last year’s 4,119 per-game average, has maintained a pulse.

The Tigers have yet to draw a crowd less than 1,400 this season and have averaged nearly 2,600 fans for their first three conference games.

“Hopefully, we can continue to do that,” Fortner said. “That’s what you want to do; you want to fill the place up.”

The solution to how Auburn can someday replicate last year’s magical day at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum is simple, Fortner said.

Win.

“People want to see you win, no question,” she said. “We have to keep trying to do a better job of that.”

That job doesn’t get any easier tonight, of course, as Tennessee has rebounded nicely from last year’s down season — by Volunteers’ standards, at least.

The No. 5 Lady Vols are 17-2 and have won eight of their last nine. Legendary coach Pat Summitt is working with the same cast of characters from last season, but has them playing at a remarkably higher level.

“There are no easy games in this conference and Tennessee, right now, is the best team in this conference,” Fortner said. “They have that team back from last year with a year of experience under their belt.

“It can be so dangerous. We will have to go there and play some good basketball and shoot the ball well and handle the crowd, because they always come out with a nice crowd.”

Tennessee’s home-court advantage is superior to any women’s basketball team not named UConn. The Volunteers are packing in more than 13,000 per game this season, a mark Fortner one day hopes Auburn can sniff.

For now, she just has to prepare her predominantly young team for all the dangers and pitfalls that come from it.

“Whenever you can put 13,000 in an arena, it is an over-the-top home-court advantage,” Fortner said. “That definitely makes a big difference.”

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Auburn (11-9, 2-5) at No. 5 Tennessee (17-2, 5-1)
Where: Thompson-Boling Arena; Knoxville, Tenn.
When: 6 p.m.
TV/Radio: CSS (Charter Cable Channel 35)/WMXA 96.7FM
Scouting report: The Lady Vols are officially back after last year’s disappointing run, which saw them lose both times against Auburn. Before that, Tennessee had a 16-game winning streak in the series. Tennessee’s only two losses this season have come against top 10 teams (Stanford and Georgia) and its average margin of victory stands at 18.9. All but one of the Lady Vols’ starters played a significant role on the team last year. All five of their starters also stand taller than 6 feet.
Projected starters Auburn: C KeKe Carrier (14.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg), F Jordan Greenleaf (7.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg), G Blanche Alverson (6.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg), G Alli Smalley (14.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg), G Morgan Toles (7.4 ppg, 4.1 apg)
Projected starters Tennessee: C Kelly Cain (9.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg), F Glory Johnson (12.7 ppg, 8.4 rpg), G Angie Bjorklund (14.8 ppg, 3.1 3pg), G Taber Spani (6.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg), G Shekinna Stricklen (12.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg)