By Chris DePew
TideFans.com staff
March 4, 2017
Where to watch: Alabama (17-12, 10-7 SEC) at Tennessee (15-15, 7-10) – Today noon Central, Thompson-Boling Arena, SEC Network
Who to watch: Braxton Key. The Crimson Tide is a lot more dangerous when its freshman forward is taking and making quality shots. And after some erratic games down the stretch, Key got back in the groove against Ole Miss, making seven of his 11 field goals for 19 points as part of an excellent night on both ends of the floor. The undersized Vols have only one player taller than the 6-foot-8 Key, and no one who can really contain him if he’s on top of his game. Look for Bama to feed him early and often inside.
What to watch for: Defending without fouling. It’s pretty much a given at this point that Alabama will play grinding defense, but what really sets the Tide up for success is when they can do it while attracting less whistles. Bama committed just 17 fouls against the Rebels and sent the SEC’s most prolific free-throw shooting team to the line 19 times. Matching that success on the road is easier said than done, but it will be important, as Tennessee similarly relies on drawing fouls and making free throws. A lot of it depends on concentration level, and Bama needs to show that it can play focused even with its No. 5 seed in next week’s SEC tournament locked into place.
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