USATSI
No. 1 Alabama spent just two days atop the AP Top 25 college basketball rankings before taking a loss in the very next game, falling 68-59 at No. 10 Tennessee on Wednesday night in Knoxville. The loss drops Alabama to 22-4 overall, but more importantly marks the team’s first SEC loss of the 2022-23 season.
While the win sours what has been a celebration of the Crimson Tide’s highest ranking in 20 years, the game also marks an impressive response from Tennessee after losing two straight games in buzzer-beating fashion. Even more notable is how the Vols dug deep despite being shorthanded. With senior Josiah Jordan-James and freshman forward Julian Phillips unavailable due to injury, Tennessee had just an eight-player rotation to battle a deep. talented and athletic Alabama side. But Tennessee relied on its elite defense to carry it, holding Alabama to just 35.4% shooting from the field.
The Vols established an edge early with their defense, forcing Alabama into turnovers and then turning those errors into points. Of Tennessee’s 29 points at the half of a tied game, 22 came off turnovers. The Crimson Tide tightened up after halftime and finished with 19 turnovers, but they proved insurmountable when coupled with the poor shooting effort.
For a rivalry between fanbases that extends through generations and recently included an iconic Tennessee win on the football field, there was already going to be plenty of jubilation for a home win against the hated Tide. When you factor in the buzzer-beater…
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