How to watch Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball at No. 7 Tennessee
Alabama's waited a long time to get its shot at Tennessee, roughly nine months.
You may remember, when the coronavirus pandemic caused sports to shut down last March, the Crimson Tide was set to square off against Volunteers at the SEC Tournament in Nashville.
It was a No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup, with the winner getting top-seeded and regular-season champion Kentucky in the quarterbacks.
Alabama needed a tournament run to have a shot at the NCAA Tournament. Instead, no one went to the Big Dance.
Alabama at No. 7 Tennessee
When: 5 CT p.m., Saturday
Where: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tenn.
TV: ESPN2
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network
Online: Watch ESPN or ESPN+
Last time out, Alabama: The Crimson Tide opened its Southeastern Conference schedule with a decisive 82-64 win over visiting Ole Miss on Tuesday night. Alabama (6-3, 1-0 SEC) never trailed en route way to its 800th SEC win, making Alabama and Kentucky the only two SEC programs with 800 victories in conference play. Guard Jahvon Quinerly led all scorers with a career-best 24 points, while also grabbing five rebounds. John Petty Jr. (13) and Alex Reese (10) came off the bench and finished in double figures points, while Jaden Shackelford led the Tide in rebounds with seven.
Last time out, Tennessee: Fans can scout the Vols firsthand as they visit No. 12 Missouri at 8 p.m. Wednesday (SEC Network).
Scouting the Volunteers: In mid-November, a panel of league media picked Tennessee to win the SEC regular-season title. Forward John Fulkerson was a preseason first-team All-SEC selection and forward Yves Pons second-team. He was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year last season. Both seniors received preseason votes for SEC Player of the Year. Redshirt junior guard Victor Bailey Jr. leads the team in scoring at 13.2 points per game, with Fulkerson second at 11.8 points. Former point guard Josiah-Jordan James is averaging 10.0 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds.
Last meeting: The Crimson Tide faced the Volunteers only once last season, with Tennessee taking a narrow 69-68 victory over Alabama at Coleman Coliseum on Feb. 4. Tennessee had a huge edge in free-throws attempted. 32-8. The Crimson Tide gave up 19 offensive rebounds on its way to being out-rebounded 42-33 and was forced into 20 turnovers in the loss.
The series: Tennessee and Alabama will meet for the 150th time, with the Crimson Tide leading the all-time series, 79-70. The 149 all-time games played between the teams ranks as the sixth-most times UA has played any one opponent, while the 79 victories also rank sixth-most in program lore.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available