One of the biggest games of the 2022-23 SEC basketball season so far, Alabama is set to travel to Knoxville on Wednesday night for a showdown with rival Tennessee. A head-to-head matchup in which Alabama owns an 81-70 all-time advantage, the Crimson Tide have won the last three meetings against the Volunteers, with Tennessee’s last win having come during the 2019-20 season.
Beginning with Tennessee, the Volunteers come into Tuesday ranked as the No. 10 team in the country according to the latest AP Poll, owning a 19-6 overall record, as well as an 8-4 mark in SEC play. The Volunteers however have lost two-straight, which came against Vanderbilt and Missouri last week, with both losses coming via a buzzer-beating three at the end of regulation.
The Volunteers are the nation’s No. 3 scoring defensive team allowing 56.3 PPG to opponents, and are averaging 72.5 PPG themselves led by three double-digit scorers in Santiago Vescovi, Zakai Zeigler, and Olivier Nkamhoua. Tennessee is also the nation’s No. 9 ranked team in rebounding at 39.9 per game, with others such as Josiah-Jordan James, Julian Phillips, Tyreke Key, Uros Plavsic, and Jonas Aidoo among the others to know for the Volunteers.
As for Alabama, the Crimson Tide are ranked as the No. 1 team in the country according to the latest AP Poll, sitting solely atop the SEC at 22-3 overall and 12-0 in conference play. The Crimson Tide are also currently on a four-game winning streak, which included a big road win at Auburn on Saturday, 77-69.
The Crimson Tide are currently ranked No. 6 nationally with an average of 83.4 PPG offensively, a group that has two players averaging in double-figures in Brandon Miller and Mark Sears. While also allowing 68.7 PPG defensively, the Crimson Tide are also the nation’s No. 1 rebounding team at 44.4 RPG, and have a few others all averaging at-least 6+ PPG in Noah Clowney, Jaden Bradley, Jahvon Quinerly, Rylan Griffen, and Nimari Burnett.
Tennessee vs Alabama SEC Basketball Prediction
A matchup featuring arguably SEC basketball’s top offensive and defensive teams, it’s clear to see why this Top 10 showdown is likely to be the conference’s best game so far this season. As to who wins, I’ll say that Alabama picks up yet another impressive road win Wednesday night, with the Volunteers potentially not being able to keep up with the Crimson Tide on the scoreboard. Prediction: Tennessee 72, Alabama 80
What Channel is the Tennessee vs Alabama Game On?
No. 10 Tennessee will host No. 1 Alabama on Wednesday, February 15 from Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN. Tipoff is set for 7:00 PM ET on ESPN2.
Tennessee vs Alabama Live Stream
A live stream of the Top 10 matchup between Tennessee and Alabama can be found on fuboTV here.