Ho Hum… Another Top Ten Showdown For Tennessee as They Host Alabama

Welcome to the tough and tumble SEC.
The 5th ranked Vols entertain 6th ranked Alabama tomorrow, marking the 5th time Tennessee has had a top 8 showdown in the SEC this year.

You hear strength of schedule a lot in basketball.
Then there’s Alabama’s closing schedule.

Said Tide head coach Nate Oats:”So we’ve got three straight games against top 5 teams.”

Coach may not have any hair left before the SEC tournament.
It starts Saturday with Tennessee, who has won three straight against the Tide.

Reporter:”You’ve been held under 75 points in every meeting against Tennessee since you’ve been there.”
Oats:”I didn’t realize that stat. It’s not shocking. They’re physical. They get into you. They make cutting hard. Guard the ball well.”

Alabama leads the SEC in scoring.
They drained 22 treys in their last game against Mississippi State.

Said Vols guard Zakai Zeigler:”They play really fast-pace. You might be up 15 on Alabama, but that’s more like a five point game.”

Said Vols head coach Rick Barnes:”They’re going to do what they do. If you’re not on edge… You saw what happened the other night. I think 23 or 24 three-pointers. So you know what they are capable of.”

Game will feature two dynamic guards in the Vols Zakai Zeigler and Bama’s Mark Sears.

Said Zeigler:”He really doesn’t have a conscious. He knows he’s a good shooter. He might miss a couple of shots. You leave him open. It’s going in.”

Oats:”When you’re as good a two-way guy as Zeigler is, it makes it difficult. Somebody that’s really a good offensive player, you just keep going at them. They either refuse to guard and you can get easy buckets or they foul and you get them on the bench. Well Zeigler is not somebody you really want to go at much because you end up getting a bad possession out of it or turning it over.

Bama and Tennessee tip at 4pm Saturday in Knoxville.>