College Basketball: Previewing Tomorrow's Alabama-Tennessee Matchup

Tomorrow's slate of college basketball includes a multitude of impressive teams, many of which are boasting NBA talent. North Carolina heads to Virginia, Georgia plays at Texas, Houston heads to Texas Tech, Illinois plays at Purdue, Auburn heads to Gainseville to face the Gators, and, last but not least, the Tennessee Volunteers cap off an incredible day of basketball in Tuscaloosa, Alabama against the Crimson Tide. Let's take a look at who to watch in Tennessee's matchup against Alabama.

Tennessee Volunteers

Rick Barnes' team is headlined by 6-foot-10, 207-pound wing Nate Ament. The freshman is averaging 15.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game while shooting 57.8% at the rim (64 attempts), 39.7% on non-rim twos (63 attempts), 27.8% from three (72 attempts), and 76.4% from the free throw line (123 attempts).

His finishing numbers need to improve for a 6-foot-10 wing, and, while his three point percentage isn't ideal, his 8.2 three point attempts per 100 possessions and 76.4% from the line are fairly positive indicators that the three point percentage will eventually improve.

Overall, Ament is a talented freshman who's shown impressive flashes so far this season and is projected to be a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Ament is on track to meet the Efficient Tall Freshman (ETF) query this season -- 41 of the 60 players (68%) who have previously met the criteria played five-plus years in the NBA or are currently in the league.

Another player to watch on Tennessee is Bishop Boswell. The 6-foot-4 sophomore guard has only appeared in 48.9% of Tennessee's minutes so far this season but has been productive in these limited minutes, recording a 16.1 assist percentage and 4.3 stock percentage while shooting 59.1% from beyond the arc (only 22 attempts) and recording a 7.6 Box Plus-Minus.

Other players to monitor for the Vols includes 6-foot-5 freshman Amari Evans, 6-foot-1 senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie, and 6-foot-11 senior Felix Okpara.

Alabama Crimson Tide

Nate Oates' team has a handful of NBA prospects to watch, and a few more to monitor as well in this matchup. The first is 6-foot-4 guard Labaron Philon -- he's averaging 22 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 69.5% at the rim (95 attempts), 51.6% on non-rim twos (64 attempts), 38% from beyond the arc (92 attempts | 9.9 three point attempts per 100 possessions), and 73.2% from the free throw line (97 attempts). Philon's the offensive engine for the No. 17 program in the nation, as he's been unassisted on 70.9% of his made field goals this season while assisting on an estimated 33.7% of his teammates' made field goals when on the floor.

Philon is also on track to meet the Productive Sophomore Query (PSQ) -- 32 of the 47 players (68%) who have met the criteria played 5+ years in the NBA or are currently in the league. He's a projected first round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

The second player to watch is 6-foot-7 wing Amari Allen -- the freshman is averaging 11.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 56.3% at the rim (64 attempts), 33.3% on non-rim twos (nine attempts), 36.9% from three (65 attempts), and 74.2% from the free throw line (66 attempts). While his shooting percentages inside the arc could improve, Allen's been impactful as a rebounder, passer, and defensive event creator this season -- recording a 6.7 offensive rebound percentage, 18.2 assist percentage, 2.1 steal percentage, and a block percentage of three.

Additionally, Amari Allen is on track to meet the Productive Young Athlete (PYA) query -- 65 of the 84 players (77%) who have met the criteria played five-plus years in the NBA or are currently in the league.

Other players to monitor on this Alabama team are 6-foot-7 junior wing Mouhamed Dioubate, 6-foot-8 freshman London Jemison, and 6-foot-10 sophomore Aiden Sherrell.