Tennessee Volunteers vs Alabama Crimson Tide Picks and Predictions March 1st 2025

No. 6 Alabama Visits No. 5 Tennessee in SEC Heavyweight Matchup

Following one of their most dominant performances of the season, No. 6 Alabama will attempt to carry that momentum into Saturday’s high-stakes showdown against No. 5 Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn.

Alabama’s Offense Rolling

The Crimson Tide (23-5, 12-3 SEC) put on an offensive clinic in their 111-73 blowout of No. 24 Mississippi State on Tuesday. Despite the lopsided win, head coach Nate Oats still found areas for improvement—specifically on defense.

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“We’ve got to have a disposition to get stops and really try to get a defensive mindset no matter what the score is,” Oats said. “A little unhappy with our defense, but it’s hard to be unhappy when you get a win like this.”

Alabama has won nine of its last 11 games, with the only losses in that stretch coming against No. 1 Auburn and then-No. 15 Missouri. Leading the way is senior guard Mark Sears, who is averaging 19 points and five assists per game. While his offensive numbers are impressive, Oats emphasizes Sears’ defensive impact as well.

“I’ve been telling you guys, he’s been playing the best basketball of his career on both sides,” Oats said. “For him to have a positive defensive leverage, that hasn’t always been the case.”

Aden Holloway and Grant Nelson both contribute 12 points per game, with Nelson also leading the team in rebounding (7.9 rpg) and blocks (36 total).

Tennessee’s Defense Presents a Challenge

The Volunteers (23-5, 10-5 SEC) rely on one of the nation’s top defenses, allowing just 60.8 points per game. While their defense has been a constant, their offense has determined their success. When Tennessee shoots well, they win—when they don’t, struggles arise, as evidenced by their 73-43 loss at then-No. 8 Florida, where they shot just 12-for-49 from the field and 4-of-29 from three.

However, the Volunteers’ shooting has been red-hot during their current three-game winning streak. Led by Chaz Lanier’s career-best 8-of-13 performance from deep against No. 12 Texas A&M, Tennessee has hit 40% of its three-pointers (28-of-70) over the last three contests.

Lanier leads Tennessee in scoring at 17.8 points per game, followed by Zakai Zeigler (13.6 ppg, 7.3 apg). Igor Milicic Jr. paces the team in rebounding (7.6 rpg), while Felix Okpara adds 6.4 boards per game.

“We’ve had different guys have to slide into different roles like most teams. We won a game without Zakai one night when he couldn’t play,” Volunteers coach Rick Barnes said. “Whatever, like (Jordan) Gainey was sick tonight.”

Tennessee’s defensive intensity has also drawn praise from opposing coaches.

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“I’d argue Zeigler and (Jahmai) Mashack are two of the five best individual defenders in the country,” said LSU coach Matt McMahon. “We just weren’t able to create enough good looks there.”

A Rivalry with History

Tennessee has won the last three meetings against Alabama and holds a 49-24 all-time record at home in this series. However, the Crimson Tide lead the overall series 82-73. With both teams vying for SEC supremacy and high seeds in the NCAA Tournament, expect an intense battle in Knoxville.

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