Alabama vs. Tennessee: Predictions and analysis
With SEC regular season championship implications on the line, what Alabama team will show up? Will it be the Alabama team that knocked off ranked opponents in Florida and Auburn or the Alabama team that gave up 117 points on the road against Kentucky?
The Crimson Tide is tasked with taking on a scorching-hot Tennessee squad. The Volunteers are ranked as the No. 4 team in the country. Rick Barnes’ squad is led by senior and SEC Player of the Year candidate Dalton Knecht. Knecht is averaging 20.8 points per game and shooting 48.2% from the floor. That is remarkable to say the least.
He is the heart and soul of the Tennessee basketball program. That is not to say that the Volunteers do not have a good supporting cast, because they do. Jonas Aidoo, Zakai Zeigler, and Santiago Vescovi are each experienced players in the SEC and are known to have good games as well.
When Alabama and Tennessee faced off earlier in the season, the Volunteers defeated the Crimson Tide by 20 points. Will that be the case again on Saturday?
It seems unlikely given the fact that Alabama has the luxury of playing in front of a sold-out crowd inside Coleman Coliseum. Alabama seemingly plays better when sporting the home whites. Nate Oats’ squad has scored over 100 points in nine games this season.
The chances of Alabama scoring 100 points on a stingy, Tennessee defense seems unlikely to happen. Can it? Of course, it can happen.
Alabama will have to be able to penetrate the paint and create shot opportunities for its shooters. Tennessee did a great job in the previous matchup of making Alabama drive and limiting the Crimson Tide from beyond the arc. Alabama shot 4-21 from distance.
That will not be the case on Saturday night, however. I fully expect Alabama to apply the pressure early on by knocking down threes and forcing Tennessee to respond. I don’t think that the Volunteers will be able to match the Crimson Tide’s intensity level for 40 minutes.
For those reasons, my prediction is that Alabama picks up a statement win. I like Alabama to defeat Tennessee 94-88.
Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest regarding the Alabama men’s basketball program.
