The No. 4 seeded Tennessee Volunteers face the No. 1 seeded Alabama Crimson Tide in a 2021 SEC Tournament semifinal game on Saturday. Tennessee (18-7, 10-7) has finished second in the previous two completed SEC tournaments, but has not won a title in 42 years. Alabama (22-6, 16-2), which has won 18 of 21 games, earned the program’s first No. 1 overall seed in the SEC Tournament since 2002. The Crimson Tide’s 16 wins in conference play matched the 1986-87 team for most league victories in program history. Forward John Fulkerson (facial injury) will miss this game for the Vols.
The game from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET. Tennessee is averaging 72.5 points per game, while Alabama averages 79.6. The Crimson Tide are 3.5-point favorites in the latest Tennessee vs. Alabama odds from William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 140. Before finalizing any Alabama vs. Tennessee picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. It has also returned over $400 on all top-rated college basketball picks this season. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Alabama vs. Tennessee in the SEC Tournament 2021. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Tennessee vs. Alabama:
- Tennessee vs. Alabama spread: Alabama -3.5
- Tennessee vs. Alabama over-under: 140 points
- Tennessee vs. Alabama money line: Alabama -180; Tennessee +155
- TEN: Is 18-9 all-time at Bridgestone Arena, including a 10-8 mark in SEC Tournament games
- ALA: The Crimson Tide has four seniors who have played more than 100 games, led by senior guard John Petty Jr. with 126
Featured Game | Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Tennessee Volunteers
Why Alabama can cover
The Crimson Tide, who last reached the tournament finals in 2002, have four players averaging 10 points or more. In Friday’s quarterfinal win over Mississippi State, sophomore guard Jahvon Quinerly led Alabama with 14 points in just 22 minutes of action. For the season, Quinerly is averaging 12.3 points, three assists and 1.9 rebounds per game. He is hitting 47.1 percent of his field goals, including 44.1 percent from 3-point range. He has reached double figures in 18 games, including a season-high 24 against Mississippi on Dec. 29.
Another key component to the Alabama offense is senior forward Herbert Jones, who scored eight points on Friday. Jones is averaging 10.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.7 steals and one block per game. He has hit 45.1 percent of his field goals, including 45.5 percent of his 3-pointers. He has reached double figures in 16 games, including two double-doubles. He scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the Jan. 2 win over Tennessee.
Why Tennessee can cover
Like the Crimson Tide, the Volunteers have been playing well, winning three of their last four games. They used a balanced scoring attack to defeat the Gators on Friday. Freshman guard Jaden Springer continues to impress. He scored 11 points and grabbed four rebounds in the victory and is averaging a team-best 12.4 points per game. He is also averaging 3.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals. He ranks 10th in SEC league play in assist to turnover ratio with a mark of 1.1.
Junior guard Victor Bailey Jr., who scored seven points in 15 minutes against Florida, is averaging 11.4 points, two rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. He is connecting on 42.3 percent of his field goals, including 36.9 percent from 3-point range, and 81.7 percent of his free throws. Yves Pons is one of the nation’s best defenders and he’s coming off a dominant nine-block performance against the Gators.
How to make Tennessee vs. Alabama picks
The model is leaning over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 143 points. It also says one side of the spread hits 60 percent of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Tennessee vs. Alabama? And which side of the spread hits 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks.
