Tennessee (18-7, 11-7) vs. Alabama (22-6, 17-2)
Southeastern Conference Tourney Semifinals, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee; Saturday, 1 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Tennessee is set to take on Alabama with a spot in the SEC championship game on the line. The only meeting between the teams this season came on Jan. 2, when the Crimson Tide outshot Tennessee 41.9 percent to 31.8 percent and made six more 3-pointers en route to the 71-63 victory.
TEAM LEADERS: The Volunteers have been led by freshmen Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson. Springer has averaged 11.3 points while Johnson has recorded 10.9 points per contest. The Crimson Tide have been led by Jaden Shackelford and Herbert Jones, who have combined to score 25.2 points per contest.JUMPING FOR JADEN: Springer has connected on 42.9 percent of the 42 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 3 of 8 over his last three games. He’s also made 80.2 percent of his free throws this season.
ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Volunteers have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Tide. Alabama has 47 assists on 92 field goals (51.1 percent) across its past three outings while Tennessee has assists on 48 of 81 field goals (59.3 percent) during its past three games.
GET OUT AND RUN: The opportunistic Alabama offense has averaged 74.5 possessions per game this season, ranking the Crimson Tide 17th nationally. Tennessee has not been as uptempo as the Crimson Tide and is averaging only 67.6 possessions per game (ranked 256th).
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