College Basketball Game of the Week: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 10 Tennessee

Story posted February 15, 2023 in CommRadio, Sports by Parker Silverman

What a great game we have on tap, as the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (22-3) travel north to take on the No. 10 Tennessee Volunteers (19-6). Alabama sits as the top team in the SEC, with a spotless 12-0 conference record. The Vols are 8-4 in conference play.

Coming in, it’s evident right away that Alabama is getting hot at the right time. The Crimson Tide have won their last four straight— all against SEC opponents, with an average win differential of nearly 26 points. Alabama are not only flying through the southeast, but are blowing out good basketball teams. They are so ahead of the pack that the AP named them the No. 1 team in the nation for the first time earlier this week.

With the Vols, they enter this week’s marquee matchup having lost three of their last four. Their one win came in a narrow three point victory against Auburn, and things have not looked good. Tennessee needs a bounce back win in a big way, and must rely on home court advantage to try to pull off the upset.

With Alabama, the game starts and ends with star forward Brandon Miller. The six-foot-nine true freshman is averaging nearly 19 points and eight rebounds a game, and is the key to Alabama’s offensive proficiency. Miller leads the SEC in offensive efficiency, points and three pointers made.

The man who completes the one-two punch for the Crimson Tide is that of forward Noah Clowney. Another freshman, Clowney and Miller average nearly 17 boards per game combined, and their length stifles opposing offenses.

With Tennessee, they present a more balanced attack. The leading scorer is senior guard Santiago Vescovi, who is averaging 12 points and four rebounds a contest. A six-foot-three foreign student from Uruguay, Vescovi is shooting over 40% from three at home this season. If he can get hot from beyond the arc, he may present issues for a very lateral Alabama defense.

The perfect complement to Vescovi in the backcourt is Zakai Zeigler, a five-foot-nine sophomore guard from Long Island, NY. Zeigler ranks within the top five in the SEC in both assists and steals, while also averaging double digit points a game.

Both Zeigler and Vescovi will have to be sharp from long range if they hope to pull off the upset. Alabama provides a lot of size and length, and with Tennessee’s shorter backcourt needing to step up, it may present issues for the Vols inside.

Either way, Vegas is leaning Tennessee to pull off the upset and defend home court. The Volunteers open as three and a half point favorites, and -160 on the moneyline.

ESPN’s matchup predictor gives Tennessee a 69% chance of victory. This should be a great game, and a true SEC classic. Tune in Wednesday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2 to catch all the action.

Parker Silverman is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email pws5405@psu.edu.