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Quietly establishing themselves as one of the best teams in the country over the last month, No. 15 Tennessee (18-5, 8-3 SEC) gets another tough test on Saturday night when they travel to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama (15-9, 6-5 SEC).
The game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on SEC Network. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch the game live on your computer, phone or streaming device by signing up for a free trial of one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
DirecTV Now: There are four different channel packages, while SEC Network is included in the “Just Right,” “Go Big” and “Gotta Have It” bundles. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial no matter what package you choose, plus you can get a free Amazon Fire TV if you prepay two months. Once signed up, you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Now website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the DirecTV Now app.
Sling TV: To get SEC Network via Sling TV, you’ll have to sign up for both the “Sling Orange” channel bundle and the “Sports Extra” add-on. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial no matter what packages you choose, and you can then watch on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app
Note: Once you’ve signed up for one of the above services, you can also watch the game via WatchESPN.com on your computer, or via the WatchESPN app on your phone, tablet or streaming device. When asked to verify your cable provider, you’ll just use your DirecTV Now or Sling TV credentials to sign in.
Preview
When you’re looking for teams to advance in your bracket, you want squads that are thriving at the end of the season.
Tennessee fits that profile. The Vols couldn’t get past Villanova or North Carolina State during their pre-conference slate (though they did beat Purdue early in the year), and then they started off SEC play with two losses in a row, but they’ve been on fire after that, winning nine of their last 10 games, including an impressive grind-it-out 61-59 victory at Kentucky on Tuesday night.
The Vols have the fifth-most efficient defense in the country, and that was again on display in Lexington, as they held to Wildcats to a season-low in points and were able to prevail despite a cold-shooting night from everyone not named Lamonte Turner.
“Scoring was hard to come by, and we just stayed with it defensively,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “We stayed in it and were able to get it at the end.”
Combine that defensive potential with an offense that features both a star (sophomore Grant Williams averages 15.9 points per contest) and good balance (seven players average more than 20.0 minutes and 6.0 points per game), and it’s easy to see the Vols challenging Auburn down the stretch for the SEC title.
But Avery Johnson’s team shouldn’t be overlooked. Freshman Collin Sexton, a likely lottery pick next June, has game-changing scoring ability (he averages 18.6 per contest but also has games of 29, 30 and 40 points), the defense is first in the conference (conference games only) in efficiency, and they boast wins over Auburn, Texas A&M and Rhode Island at home.
For those who haven’t been paying attention, Tennessee vs Alabama–they have a combined two NCAA Tournament appearances in the last six seasons–may not jump out as an enticing matchup. But rest assured, these are two of the most talented teams in the country, and even on a busy Saturday in the college basketball world, this is a must-watch game.