Published Feb 3, 2020
How to watch: Alabama Crimson Tide basketball vs. Tennessee
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Tony Tsoukalas  •  TideIllustrated
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Following a four-game winning streak, Alabama basketball now finds itself in a downswing as it is coming off of back-to-back losses to LSU and Arkansas last week. The Crimson Tide (12-9, 4-4 in the SEC) will look to get back on the right track Tuesday as it hosts Tennessee (12-9, 4-4) at 6 p.m. CT inside Coleman Coliseum. The Volunteers are in the midst of a skid of their own, suffering three straight losses. Here’s all the information you need to know about Tuesday’s game.

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How to watch

Who: Alabama (12-9, 4-4 in the SEC) vs. Tennessee (12-9, 4-4)

When: 6:00 p.m. CT, Tuesday, Feb. 4

Where: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Watch: ESPNU (play-by-blay: Kevin Fitzgerald; analyst: Barry Booker)

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (play-by-play: Chris Stewart; analyst: Bryan Passink)

Alabama projected lineup

Kira Lewis Jr.: 6-foot-3, 165 pounds, sophomore

Stats: 16.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.7 apg, 43.9% FG, 29.8% 3-pt

Jaden Shackelford: 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, freshman

Stats: 13.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 39.2% FG, 33.3% 3-pt

John Petty Jr.: 6-foot-5, 184 pounds, junior

Stats: 15.4 ppg., 7.2 rpg, 2.1 apg, 46.8% FG, 45.8% 3-pt

Alex Reese: 6-foot-9, 245 pounds, junior

Stats: 9.9 ppg, 4.7, rpg, 1.1 apg, 44.1% FG, 34.5% 3-pt

Javian Davis: 6-foot-9, 242 pounds, junior

Stats: 6.1 ppg, 3.9, rpg, 0.6 apg, 60.6% FG

Tennessee projected lineup

Santiago Vescovi: 6-foot-3, 188 pounds, freshman

Stats: 10.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.6 apg, 39.7% FG, 38.0% 3-pt

Jordan Bowden: 6-foot-5, 193 pounds, senior

Stats: 12.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.5 apg, 37.0% FG, 27.7% 3-pt

Yves Pons: 6-foot-6, 215 pounds, junior

Stats: 11.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.1 apg, 48.4% FG, 33.8% 3-pt

John Fulkerson: 6-foot-9, 212 pounds, redshirt junior

Stats: 11.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 63.8% FG

Uros Plavsic: 7-foot, 240 pounds, redshirt freshman

Stats: 4.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.3 apg, 50.0% FG, 35.3% 3-pt

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Notes and quotes 

— After missing the past two games due to illness, things are looking up for James "Beetle" Bolden. Following Monday's practice, head coach Nate Oats provided an update on the graduate transfer guard, stating he's likely to play against Tennessee.

“He practiced today for a little bit,” Oats said. “He still had to see a few doctors again today, but he gave us some, so I’m pretty sure he’ll go limited tomorrow. His energy’s not up enough to play as many minutes as he was playing in the past, but he practiced some today. It was a good sign. He looked pretty good, too, when he practiced for the limited time Clarke (Holter) let him go.”

— Alabama faced up to five guards on the floor against Arkansas over the weekend. Tuesday's game against Tennessee will present a different type of challenge. The Volunteers feature a starting lineup that includes two towering forwards in Uros Plavsic (7-foot, 240 pounds) and John Fulkerson (6-foot-9, 212).

“It’s almost the exact opposite,” Oats said. “In their last game, (Tennessee) went with three bigs and two guards some of the time, playing a power forward at the small forward spot. So now it’s back to playing physical and rebounding for us.”

— Alabama and Tennessee couldn't be any different themselves either. The Crimson Tide is ranked No. 3 in the nation averaging 75.6 possessions per 40 minutes. Meanwhile, the Volunteers rank No. 306 in the category averaging 65.3 possesions.

Part of Tennessee's lack of pace is due to the absence of senior guard Lamonte Turner, who left the team after 11 games this season due to a lingering shoulder injury.

“They don’t run much,” Oats said. “They have to run their offense, which they are good at. They do have (Santiago) Vescovi. He can shoot it and has a high IQ, but he’s having to play 40 minutes because they don’t have their point guy.”

— Alabama guard John Petty is just 1 of 8 from beyond the arc in his past two games. The junior ranks No. 8 in the nation hitting 45.8 percent from 3 on the season.

"My confidence is never shook,” Petty said. “I’ve just got to take better shots and keep putting up more shots. That’s nothing that I really worry about because I know I’ve been shooting the ball pretty good all year, and I know there’s going to be some times where you don’t make shots."

— According to Ken Pomeroy’s “Luck” statistic, the Crimson Tide ranks 327th out of 353 Division I teams. The category takes into account “the deviation between a team’s actual winning percentage and what one would expect from its game-by-game efficiencies. Essentially, a team involved in a lot of close games should not win (or lose) all of them. Those that do will be viewed as lucky or unlucky.”

— Tennessee and Alabama will meet for the 149th time in program history, with the Tide leading the all-time series, 79-69.

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