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Live Updates: No. 4 Tennessee basketball at No. 14 Alabama

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•03/02/24•

GrantRamey

Alabama guard Mark Sears
Mark Sears (Randy Sartin / USA TODAY Sports)

The Southeastern Conference game of the year is here. No. 4 Tennessee goes to No. 14 Alabama Saturday night for a primetime showdown between the two teams tied for first in the SEC standings.

Follow along for all the live updates before, during and after tonight’s game on The General’s Quarters

Tennessee (21-6, 12-3 SEC) rallied from down eight points with 12 minutes left at home against Auburn on Wednesday, winning 92-84 behind 39 points from Dalton Knecht, including 27 in the second half alone. 

Alabama (20-8, 12-3) held serve in the SEC standings and bounced back from the 117-95 loss at Kentucky on Saturday with a 103-88 win at Ole Miss on Wednesday, the ninth time this season that Bama has scored 100 or more points. 

The Crimson Tide close the season with a trip to Florida on Tuesday and a home date with Arkansas next Saturday. Tennessee goes to South Carolina on Wednesday and hosts Kentucky on Senior Day next Saturday.

How to Watch: No. 4 Tennessee at No. 14 Alabama

Start Time: Saturday, 8 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: Coleman Coliseum (15,383)

TV: ESPN

Streaming: WatchESPN.com

Radio: WNML-FM 99.1 in Knoxville. The Vol Network radio broadcast can be heard on local affiliates across the state of Tennessee. 

KenPom Prediction: Alabama 85, Tennessee 84 (Vols 43% chance to win)

A Closer Look: The Alabama Crimson Tide

Tennessee beat Alabama 91-71 on January 20 at Thompson-Boling Arena. Dalton Knecht scored 25 points, Jonas Aidoo had 19, Jordan Gainey scored 15 off the bench and Santiago Vescovi added 10. Zakai Zeigler had eight points, six assists and four rebounds. 

Alabama, which trailed by as many as 27 points, got 22 from Mark Sears.

It’s Knecht and Sears battling for the SEC Player of the Year award. Knecht’s 39 points in the win over Auburn Wednesday night moved him ahead of Sears in scoring, with Knecht now averaging 20.8 points per game, ahead of 20.6 for Sears, who scored 26 in a win at Ole Miss on Wednesday.

Alabama was won eight of 10 since the loss at Tennessee. The Crimson Tide lost 99-81 at Auburn on February 7 and 117-95 at Kentucky last Saturday. 

Nate Oats again has Alabama ranked No. 1 in KenPom.com‘s adjusted offensive efficiency, scoring 128.2 points per 100 possessions. The Crimson Tide rank 100th in adjusted defensive efficiency, though, giving up 102.7 points per 100 possessions. 

After the win over Auburn, Tennessee is ranked No. 4 in KenPom defense (91.9) and No. 18 in KenPom offense (119.2). The Vols are No. 5 in the overall KenPom rating, two spots ahead of Alabama. 

Alabama is No. 6 in the NET, one spot behind Tennessee, with a 4-7 record in Quad 1 games, a 6-1 record in Quad 2 games and a combined 10-0 record in Quad 3 and Quad 4 games. 

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