Tennessee’s current streak of five wins over Alabama in men’s basketball is quite impressive given the Crimson Tide’s sustained success under coach Nate Oats.
Achieving a sixth would definitely add to the feat.
Two surging Southeastern Conference teams will collide when No. 17 Alabama challenges the No. 22 Volunteers inside the Food City Center on Saturday night (6 on ESPN). The Crimson Tide have won seven straight games to get to 21-7 overall and to 11-4 in SEC play, while Tennessee (20-8, 10-5) has won eight of its past 10 in a run that began with a 79-73 victory in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 24.
“We’re arguably playing the hottest team in the league right now,” Tennessee 11th-year coach Rick Barnes said Friday afternoon in a press conference. “They’re shooting it like crazy right now. They had a phenomenal night the other night, and we know they’re capable of doing that.
“They can play different lineups. They just really seem to be locked in.”