Live Updates: No. 6 Alabama Basketball vs Tennessee at the SEC Tournament

Live updates, stats and analysis from Bridgestone Arena as the Crimson Tide takes on the Volunteers in the tournament semifinals

Second Half

(most recent update at the top)

• FINAL: Alabama 73, Tennessee 68.

• Vescovi misses a jumper, and Alabama rebounds the basketball. Tennessee is forced to foul and the Crimson Tide sends Ellis to the line for two shots. Ellis makes both. With 3.7 seconds left, Alabama leads 73-68.

• Tennessee inbounds the ball and then calls timeout once it reaches their offensive half of the court. 13.2 seconds left, Alabama up 71-68.

• James is forced to foul Alabama, and in doing so fouls out of the game. 15.5 seconds left, and Quinerly heads to the line. Quinerly makes both to give the Crimson Tide a 71-68 lead. The Volunteers will have the basketball next.

• Jones is called for his third foul, sending Gaines to the line for two shots with 25.0 seconds left. Gaines misses both.

• Pons sinks a clutch three to pull the Volunteers within one. 69-68 Crimson Tide with exactly 41.4 left on the clock.

• Quinerly goes inside for a layup. 69-65 left to play with under a minute to go.

• Quinerly is called for his first personal, a blocking foul. That makes nine team fouls for Alabama. Springer heads to the line to shoot one and one and makes both. 67-65 Crimson Tide with 1:30 left to go in the game.

• Layup good by Quinerly for his 12th and 13th points of the day. 67-63 Alabama.

• Ellis is charged with his second personal, Alabama's eighth team foul. Johnson heads to the line for two free throws and makes both. 65-63 Alabama with 3:10 on the clock.

• The issue seems to have resolved, and Jones heads back to the line for his second free throw and makes it. 65-61 Alabama with 3:20 to play.

• Vescovi is called for his third personal foul. Jones heads to the line for two shots and misses his first. In-between free throws, there seems to be some sort of issue with the clock on the court. While we wait, both teams are sent to their respective benches.

• Final media timeout. Alabama has taken a 64-61 lead and has possession of the basketball. The two clutch threes by Reese and Ellis have fired up the team and the momentum arrow is starting to tilt in the Crimson Tide's favor. That being said, the Volunteers still have plenty of time to regain the lead and win this game.

• Ellis drains a deep three-pointer. 64-61 Alabama.

• Vescovi gets called for his second personal, sending Jones to the line. Jones makes his first, tying the game at 61 points apiece. He misses his second, rebound by Tennessee.

• Ellis fouls Vescovi, and Tennessee is now in the bonus. Vescovi to shoot one-and-one. He makes both, and the Volunteers regain a one-point lead.

• Layup by Quinerly, and Alabama takes its first lead since the opening minutes. 60-59 Alabama with just over five minutes left to play.

• Jones with the alley-oop dunk, assist by Quinerly.

• Spinger short jumper for two.

• The play stands as called on the court, so Ellis returns to the free-throw line. He makes both. 57-56 Tennessee with 6:49 to go.

• Ellis fouled on the way up to the basket for a dunk, so he heads to the line for two free throw attempts. However, the play is under review to determine whether the foul was flagrant.

• Three-point basket by Reese.

• Under-eight media timeout. The Volunteers lead 57-51 with 7:43 remaining in the game. Alabama's defense has battened down the hatches, but the Crimson Tide's shots continue to not fall and the rebounding still tilts in favor of the Volunteers, 31-28.

• Dunk good by Plavsic.

• Charge called on Pons, which is Tennessee's ninth team foul. Alabama basketball.

• Reese inside for two. 55-51 Tennessee.

• Bailey makes a short jumper, and just like that the Tennessee lead is back to six points.

• Johnson makes a short jumper. 53-49 Tennessee. Media timeout with 10:50 to go in the game.

• Three-point basket by Springer. Jones responds with a dunk on the opposite end.

• Foul charged to James, his fourth personal and Tennessee's eighth team foul. Jones shoots one-and-one and makes both. 48-47 Tennessee.

• The Crimson Tide is now on a 12-0 run after a layup from Jones, forcing the Volunteers to call a timeout. With 12:31 left to play, the score is now 48-45 in favor of Tennessee.

• Petty draws his first personal foul. On a side note that should have been mentioned earlier, Alabama is now in the bonus thanks to seven team fouls by Tennessee.

• Now it's Petty's turn to draw a charge, this time from Johnson. Crimson Tide basketball.

• Petty tips in a layup.

• Quinerly sinks a layup. 48-41 Tennessee with 14:28 to go.

• Shackelford draws a charge from Springer, his second. Alabama basketball.

• At the under-16 media timeout, the Crimson Tide is starting to build up some momentum on defense. While the shots continue to not fall in Alabama's favor, the team's defense has bailed them out of some trouble on multiple occasions.

• Petty sinks a corner three. 48-39 Volunteers with 15:55 remaining in the game.

• Reese inside for two, foul on the shot charged to Vescovi. Reese makes his free throw to make the score 48-36 Tennessee.

• Three-point basket by Vescovi.

• Reese is charged with his second personal foul, second team foul for Alabama.

• Travel called on Plavsic, Tennessee's third team foul.

• James is called for his third personal foul and Tennessee's second of the half. Jones heads to the line for Alabama and makes both of his free throws. 45-33 Tennessee.

• Pons makes a short jumper, and just like that Tennessee has the first five points of the second half.

• Bruner called for his second personal and heads to the bench as Oats puts Rojas in the game in his place.

• Springer is charged with his first personal foul.

• Springer opens the half with a three for the Volunteers.

• Tennessee gets the basketball to start the second half.

Halftime Notes

• Quinerly leads Alabama with nine points in 14 minutes on the court. Jones leads the team with six rebounds but has turned the ball over three times.

• Johnson was very productive for Tennessee in the first half, accounting for 16 points and four rebounds. Springer also tied Johnson for team-lead in rebounds with four of his own.

• In general, the Volunteers produced much more on offense than the Crimson Tide in the first half. Tennessee shot 47-percent from the floor and 38-percent from three-point range. The Volunteers also led the game in paint points with 22 compared to Alabama's 16.

• The Crimson Tide shot just 35-percent from the floor and was 24-percent from beyond the arc. Additionally, Alabama turned the ball over 12 times. If the Crimson Tide want to come back in the second half, it's going to need to reduce its turnovers as well as improve its rebounding, which Tennessee leads 21-19.

First Half

• HALFTIME: Tennessee 40, Alabama 31

• Johnon makes a tip-in basket.

• Blocking foul charged to Rojas, his first. The crowd highly disagreed. Pons makes both of his free throws. 38-31 Volunteers.

• Fadeaway three by Petty. 36-31 Tennessee.

• Quinerly misses a corner three, but Jones rebounds and puts it in the basket for two. Timeout Tennessee. The Volunteers' lead has now been cut to six. 36-28 Tennessee with 2:53 left in the first half.

• Basket by Quinerly for two.

• Media timeout. The Volunteers now have their largest lead of the game at 12 points with exactly four minutes left to go in the first half. All Crimson Tide momentum seems to have faded. No doubt there will be a lot of adjustments by Nate Oats at the half. 36-24 Tennessee.

• Johnson with another short jumper. Tennessee is now on a 6-0 run.

• Plavsic is called for his first personal.

• Springer with another short layup. He now has eight. 34-24 Tennessee — its largest lead of the game.

• Johnson now has 12 points with another layup.

• Three-point basket by Petty.

• The Crimson Tide was able to cut the Volunteers lead to two points but the run by Tennessee once again ties their largest lead of the game.

• Johnson makes a short layup to make it a 7-0 run over the last 55 seconds. Alabama uses a timeout. 30-21 Tennessee with 7:31 left to go in the first half.

• Springer inside for two. 28-21 Tennessee.

• Reese misses a layup, then tips it back in. Tennessee responds with a three by Vescovi.

• Quinerly makes another layup. He now has seven points in eight minutes. 23-19 Volunteers at the 9:32 mark.

• Three-point basket by Vescovi, but Quinerly responds with his own three. 23-17 Tennessee.

• Quinerly rebounds the ball, and drives it down the full length of the court for a layup.

• Reese picks up his first personal.

• Bailey makes both of his free throws. 20-12 Tennessee.

• Alabama's defense has started to gain some momentum, but it is still struggling on the offensive end. The Crimson Tide is shooting just 33-percent from the floor and is 1-for-5 from beyond the arc. Tennessee, on the other hand, is shooting 57-percent from the floor.

• Jones is called for his second foul, a block. Under-12 media timeout. Tennessee leads 18-12.

• Johnson answers Alabama with a three of his own.

• Three-point basket by Jordan Bruner. 15-12 Tennessee at the 13:25 mark.

• Pavsic gets his first two points of the day with a layup.

• Jones steals the ball on the defensive end of the court, but James Rojas is called for the travel at the offensive end.

• Jones is fouled on the way up to the rim and makes the basket after a steal on the opposite end by Petty. Jones steps up to the line and misses his and-one opportunity.

• Johnson is called for his first personal on Juwan Gary, who gets the basket and the and-one. 13-7 Volunteers at the 14:38 mark.

• Another short jumper from Johnson.

• At the first media timeout, Tennessee leads Alabama 11-4. The Volunteers are five of their last seven. Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide has no field goals over the last 3:54. Not a strong start for Alabama, who has also picked up four personal fouls in the first five minutes compared to Tennessee's one.

• Another short jumper for Tennessee, this time by James.

• James sends Jones to the line, who makes both free throws. 9-4 Tennessee.

• Springer makes a short jumper for two. 9-2 Tennessee.

• Shackelford is now called for a personal on the other end. He already has two fouls in the first three minutes.

• Shackelford is now called for a charge.

• Herb Jones called with the charge. Turnover. Johnson makes his first bucket. Bruner turns the ball over, resulting in a dunk by James. 7-2 Tennessee.

• Petty misses his first shot of the game — a three-point attempt — rebounded by the Volunteers. Springer gets two with a short jumper to put the Volunteers on top.

• Jordan Bruner charged with his first personal foul of the game. Johnson heads to the line for two free-throw attempts and misses his first but makes his second. 2-1 Alabama.

• Alabama wins the opening tip and we are underway here inside Bridgestone Arena. Jaden Shackelford gets a quick layup for two.

Pregame

• Both Alabama freshman guard Josh Primo and Tennessee forward John Fulkerson will be out of Saturday's game, with Primo suffering a sprained MCL in his left knee and Fulkerson with a facial fracture and concussion.

• Today's officials: Don Daily, Tony Greene, Chuck Jones.

• Alabama's starting five: Jaden Shackelford (G), John Petty Jr. (G), Keon Ellis (G), Herb Jones (W), Jordan Bruner (F).

#BamaFirstFive pic.twitter.com/jSDcPGqttF

— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) March 13, 2021

• Tennessee's starting five: Josiah-Jordan James (G), Jaden Springer (G), Santiago Vescovi (G), Keon Johnson (G), Yves Pons (F).

The starters.

+ Santi
+ Jaden
+ Keon
+ Jo
+ Yves#SECMBB // @FirstHorizonBnk pic.twitter.com/SzUKNMWbRj

— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) March 13, 2021

Game Preview

After taking care of business with relative ease 85-48 on Friday against Mississippi State in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, Alabama basketball will have a much more difficult challenge on its hands on Saturday.

The Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Florida Gators 78-66 on Friday afternoon, moving forward to play Alabama in the SEC Tournament semifinals. While the Crimson Tide is the No. 1 seed in the tournament thanks to its first regular-season SEC title since 2002, the Volunteers are no slouch coming in as the tournaments No. 4 seed.

The Crimson Tide is coming off what is possibly its most impressive all-around performance of the season. Against the Bulldogs, Alabama shot 48-percent from the floor and was 13-for-36 from beyond the arc. The turnover disparity was heavily tilted in the Crimson Tide's favor, with Alabama turning the ball over just nine times compared to Mississippi State's 18.

Alabama was able to turn those 18 turnovers in 30 points — a key factor that made a big difference in the game.

The game wasn't completely without loss, though. In the second half, freshman guard Josh Primo went down with an apparent injury and was immediately assisted to the locker room for evaluation. After the game, Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats said that they were going to have Primo undergo an MRI and that his availability for tomorrow is questionable.

Tennessee is also coming into Saturday's game with an injury. Fulkerson was struck twice in the face by the elbow of Gators player Omar Payne, resulting in Fulkerson having to leave the game due to the injury and the ejection of Payne.

After the game, Volunteers coach Rick Barnes said that Fulkerson is unlikely to play on Saturday.

Aside from the injury, Tennessee performed well against Florida. The Volunteers totaled five double-digit shooters, led by sophomore guard Santiago Vescovi with 14 points. On the night, Tennessee shot 47-percent from the floor and was 9-for-25 from beyond the arc.

Here is everything you need to know about No. 6 Alabama basketball's SEC Tournament semifinal matchup against Tennessee:

Game Information:

Where: Bridgestone Arena

When: Noon CT, Saturday

TV: ESPN

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network

Online: ESPN.com

Last time out, Alabama: The Crimson Tide used solid play on both sides of the basketball to beat the Mississippi State Bulldogs 85-48 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. Sophomore guard Jahvon Quinerly led the team with 14 points while senior wing rebounded the ball seven times. Alabama shot 48-percent from the floor and sank 13 threes on its way to the largest SEC Tournament victory in Crimson Tide program history.

Last time out, Tennessee: The Volunteers had five double-digit shooters on Friday — including 14 points from sophomore guard Santiago Vescovi — in its 78-66 defeat of the Florida Gators. 34 points in the paint as well as nine three-pointers were too much for the Gators to handle as Tennessee easily moved on to the semifinals.

The series: Tennessee and Alabama will meet for the 151st time, with the Crimson Tide leading the all-time series, 80-70. The 150 all-time games played between the teams ranks as the sixth-most times UA has played any one opponent, while the 80 victories also rank sixth-most in program lore.

More on the last meeting: Alabama defeated Tennessee inside Thompson-Boling Arena 71-63 back on Jan. 2. Senior guard John Petty Jr. led the way for the Crimson Tide in points with 17, while senior wing Herb Jones took the team lead in rebounds with eight. The win in Knoxville was the first victory for the Crimson Tide at the Volunteers' arena since 2015.