Top-10 teams will square off Wednesday night in an SEC showdown as the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (22-3, 12-0) take on the No. 10 Tennessee Volunteers (18-7, 10-2). The Volunteers will host this one at the Thompson-Boling Arena, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.
The Volunteers come into this one as slight favorites playing at home. They are -134 to win, while the Crimson Tide’s moneyline sits at +112. Alabama comes in as 1.5-point underdogs (-102), and the over/under for total points is 143.5.
Alabama Looks To Stay Perfect In Conference
At 22-3, the top-ranked Crimson Tide have had a phenomenal year. They have been especially strong in the SEC, where they are a perfect 12-0 to date. They will carry a four-game winning streak into this matchup as they look to stay perfect in the conference.
Alabama currently ranks third in the nation in scoring, averaging 83.4 points per game (79 on the road). They are led by freshman forward Brandon Miller, who is averaging 18.8 points on 45.5% shooting. He is also averaging 8.2 rebounds and two assists per game.
Other major contributors include Mark Sears (14 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists) and Noah Clowney (9.8 points, eight rebounds).
Defensively, Alabama ranks 133rd in the nation, allowing opponents an average of 68.7 points per game (74.6 on the road).
Volunteers Look For Signature Victory Over No. 1 Crimson Tide
It speaks volumes to the quality of the SEC that the Volunteers rank 10th in the nation, but they are just third in the conference. Trying to improve on their 8-4 SEC record, Tennessee will look for a signature win over the No. 1 Crimson Tide.
Unlike Alabama, Tennessee relies on an elite defense to help secure victories. They have the second-best scoring defense in the nation, allowing just 56.3 points per game (53.2 at home).
On offense, they rank 125th in scoring, averaging 72.5 points per game (76.8 at home). They are led by senior guard Santiago Vescovi, who is averaging 12.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.
Zakai Zeigler (10.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, two steals), Olivier Nkamhoua (10.7 points, five rebounds), Josiah-Jordan James (9.5 points, 5.3 rebounds), and Julian Phillips (9 points, 4.8 rebounds) have also had strong years.
Unfortunately for Tennessee, both James (ankle) and Phillips (hip) are questionable for this game.
Take The Crimson Tide And The Points
Alabama comes into this one having gone 10-5 both straight up and against the spread in their last 15 games versus Tennessee. They are also 10-3 against the spread in their last 13 games.
As for the Volunteers, they are 18-2 in their last 20 home games, but they are just 1-4 against the spread in their last five games overall.
This is a classic matchup of elite offense versus elite defense. Both of these teams will be amped up for this SEC showdown, and the Volunteers are being given the nod as the favorite since they are the home team (11-2 at home this season).
Still, if Alabama can break through against Tennessee’s defense, the question is whether the Volunteers can put up enough points to keep up. For that reason, there is a lot of value in taking the Crimson Tide and the +1.5 points (-102).
