Alabama gets buckets, leads the nation in scoring and swaggers from long range. Tennessee has a rock-fight defense, swarming toughness and one of the most hyped home courts in the sport. Two of the best teams in the SEC (and all of Division I) square off for a style clash on Saturday afternoon.
The Crimson Tide lost consecutive games for the first time all season in mid-February — to admittedly tough opponents in Auburn and Missouri. They responded with a comfortable takedown of Kentucky, then an absolute domination over Mississippi State. Nate Oats’ group was fully locked in on Tuesday. Lead dog Mark Sears had 10 assists for the second time this year, with seven players scoring at least eight points and Chris Youngblood nailing seven treys. The fifth-year transfer from Kennesaw State and South Florida is up to 51.5/50 percent shooting splits in his last eight games. He’s been a great tone-setter for such a fast-paced offense:
The CY 4-Point Play.#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/9sPhTorgDC
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) February 26, 2025
Alabama tops the conference in possessions, assists, made 2s, made 3s and made free throws. It’s getting a lot from bench force Aden Holloway, who is at 54.5/48.2/91.3 shooting splits since the New Year. The offense is national title-worthy at its best.
But Rick Barnes and Tennessee specialize in making offenses look nothing close to their best. The Vols shrink the court and bring continuous defensive energy, sitting seventh in first-half scoring defense and up to fourth in the second half. They have won three straight since a stumble at Kentucky on Feb. 11. Chaz Lanier had a rough January, but he’s hit at least three 3s in four of his last seven outings. That span has seen him get his points (averaging almost 18) with few turnovers (0.7 per game).
Giveaways have been a problem for fellow senior Zakai Zeigler, with at least three in each of his last five starts. But in four career Alabama games, Zeigler has 22 dimes to just five turnovers.
The Volunteers will undoubtedly lean on their defense to dictate the flow here, as they have all season. The talent is stacked. Zeigler leads the SEC in defensive win shares; Croatian big man Igor Miličić Jr. has the conference’s best defensive rating; four-year Vol Jahmai Mashack tops the entire country in defensive box plus/minus. They make the other end of the floor look genuinely fun:
IT’S UP
📺 ESPN
📲 https://t.co/lhCyaX19Zh pic.twitter.com/7gNW0o30mf— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) February 1, 2025
The over is 7-3 in road Alabama games this season, and the Tide have hit the over in four of their last five. But the under is also 7-3 in Tennessee tilts with ranked opponents.
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(Photo of Chris Youngblood: David Buono / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
