Tennessee basketball is back in action on Saturday night when they travel to Tuscaloosa to face rival Alabama. Both the Vols and the Crimson Tide are coming off midweek open dates and are looking to get critical conference wins.
Here’s everything to know about the matchup from the broadcast details to the betting odds and much more.
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How to Watch — Tennessee (12-6, 2-3 SEC) at No. 17 Alabama (13-5, 3-2 SEC)
- Start Time: 8:30 p.m. ET/7:30 a.m. CT
- Location: Coleman Coliseum
- Watch: ESPN. PxP: Dave Neal, CC: Richard Hendrix
- Online Streaming: WatchESPN
- Radio (Knoxville): The Vol Network/The Vol Network App
- Vol Network radio crew: PxP: Mike Keith, CC: Chris Lofton
Betting Odds
- Alabama -5.5 Tennessee
- Over/under 167.5
- Alabama -5 Tennessee
- Over/under 165
Probable Starters
Tennessee (via UT Game Notes):
Alabama (via last game):
What Tennessee HC Rick Barnes Said About The Crimson Tide
On what stands out about Alabama
“One of Nate’s (Oats) most efficient offenses. They really can score the basketball. (Nate Oats) totally believes in his system, how they play, and because of it, they’re never out of the game because they can explode at any point in time. He does the job that he always does, getting his guys to buy into what he wants them to do.”
Where They Land In The Rankings
Tennessee:
- AP Poll: NR
- Coaches Poll: NR
- KenPom: No. 23
- Bart Torvik: No. 17
- EvanMiya: No. 20
Alabama:
- AP Poll: No. 17
- Coaches Poll: No. 17
- KenPom: No. 18
- Bart Torvik: No. 17
- EvanMiya: No. 17
Team Stats (via KenPom)
Tennessee:
Alabama:
Stat Leaders
Tennessee:
Points: Ja’Kobi Gillespie — 18.6 PPG, 42.7 FG%, 35.9 3PT%
Rebounds: Jaylen Carey — 6.4 RPG, 3.4 DRPG, 3.0 ORPG
Assists: Ja’Kobi Gillespie — 5.6 APG, 2.6 TOPG, 33.1 MPG
Alabama:
Points: Labaron Philon — 22 PPG, 53.4 FG%, 38 3PT%
Rebounds: Amari Allen — 7.8 RPG, 5.9 DRPG, 1.9 ORPG
Assists: Labaron Philon — 4.9 APG, 2.8 TOPG, 28.8 MPG
Last Five Games
Tennessee:
- 80-78 loss versus Kentucky
- 87-82 win versus Texas A&M (2OT)
- 91-67 loss at Florida
- 85-71 win versus Texas
- 86-75 loss at Arkansas
Alabama:
- 83-81 win at Oklahoma
- 97-82 win at Mississippi State
- 92-88 loss versus Texas
- 96-90 loss at Vanderbilt
- 89-74 win versus Kentucky
Prediction
After letting one get away at home against Kentucky, Tennessee needs to find a way to pick up a road win in its upcoming trips to Alabama and Georgia.
There’s some reasons to be optimistic for Tennessee at Alabama. The Vols have had the Crimson Tide’s number and their defense frequently shuts down the high powered Alabama offense. We’ll see how Charles Bediako affects things, but Alabama has been a bad rebounding team who has lost to the best rebounding teams they’ve faced.
Those two things make me think Tennessee keeps this game close, but I just have a hard time seeing them get over the hump with its struggles on the road this season against a strong Alabama team.
Alabama 82, Tennessee 78
