Here's a look at how Alabama, the No. 1-ranked team in college basketball, will stack up with No. 11 Tennessee on Wednesday.
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The matchup at Tennessee could still end up one of the toughest of the regular season for
Alabama basketball, but the Vols are sputtering heading into Wednesday night's game.
Tennessee has lost three of its last four, the last two on buzzer-beaters vs. Vanderbilt and Missouri. The Vols barely beat Auburn in the one game Tennessee has won in the past two weeks.
Until this recent string of defeats, Tennessee had only lost three games all season.
Now, the No. 11 Vols will try to get back on course against the new No. 1 team in the country, Alabama (22-3, 12-0 SEC). The two squads will face off Wednesday (6 p.m., ESPN2) in Knoxville.
Here's a look at Tennessee (19-6, 8-4) and how it stacks up with the
Crimson Tide.
Projected starting lineup for Tennessee
Guard Zakai Zeigler (sophomore): 5-9, 171 pounds. Averages: 10.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 2 steals, 0.1 blocks, 2.3 turnovers.
Guard Santiago Vescovi (senior): 6-3, 192 pounds. Averages: 12.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2 steals, 0.1 blocks, 1.4 turnovers.
Forward Julian Phillips (freshman): 6-8, 198 pounds. Averages: 9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.6 blocks, 1.3 turnovers.
Forward Josiah-Jordan James (senior): 6-6, 224 pounds. Averages: 9.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.1 blocks, 0.9 turnovers.
Center Olivier Nkamhoua (senior): 6-9, 236 pounds. Averages: 10.7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.8 blocks, 2 turnovers.
Phillips (hip flexor strain) and James (ankle sprain) will be game-time decisions, Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said Monday.
Zeigler is second in the conference in assists. He and Vescovi are tied for third in steals per game.
Tennessee's rotation
The Vols have nine players averaging double-digit minutes. Outside of the starters, Tyreke Key (24.2 minutes), Jonas Aidoo (16.8), Jahmai Mashack (14.8), Uros Plavsic (13.7) have been the other recipients of the bulk of the minutes.
Tennessee vs. Alabama in scoring, defense and tempo
KenPom tracks adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, which are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. Tennessee, despite its recent losses, remains the No. 1 defensive team in the country. Its 3-point defense is also No. 1 in the country.
As far as tempo goes, Alabama is going to try to play faster than Tennessee, as is the case in most matchups. Alabama moved down from No. 1 to No. 2 nationally in tempo after the Auburn game. KenPom measures the adjusted tempo statistic based on the number of possessions per 40 minutes.
Adjusted offensive efficiency:
Tennessee: 112.4 (52nd nationally)
Alabama: 117.5 (13th nationally)
Adjusted defensive efficiency:
Tennessee: 86.6 (1st nationally)
Alabama: 90 (5th)
Tempo
Tennessee: 66.2 (246th nationally)
Alabama: 73.2 (2nd)
Score prediction
Alabama 75, Tennessee 68: The Vols could slow Alabama's offense, particularly from beyond the arc. Still, the Crimson Tide will find a way to counter, like it did against Auburn's top-notch perimeter defense.
Much like their accents, their rims sound weird. 
