Alabama basketball is aiming to score a victory over Tennessee in a game that will probably decide who wins the SEC.

The No. 13 Crimson Tide and No. 4 Vols sit tied for No. 1 in the conference with three games remaining, each with a 12-3 conference record. Heading into the matchup on Saturday at Coleman Coliseum, Tennessee has the edge in the standings considering it beat Alabama on Jan. 20 in Knoxville.

The game not only features two of the conference's top teams but also two of its top players; Tennessee's Dalton Knecht and Alabama's Mark Sears are the SEC's leaders in points per game and both are atop the race for SEC player of the year.

Alabama seeks to win the SEC regular season championship for the third time in the past four seasons. Before the signature matchup, here's a look at the Vols (22-6, 12-3 SEC) and how they stack up with the Crimson Tide (20-8, 12-3).

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Projected starting lineup for Tennessee vs. Alabama basketball

Guard Zakai Zeigler (junior): 5-foot-9, 171 pounds. Averages: 11.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 2 steals, 0.1 blocks, 2.2 turnovers.

Guard Santiago Vescovi (senior): 6-foot-3, 196 pounds. Averages: 7.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks, 1 turnover.

Forward Dalton Knecht (senior): 6-foot-6, 213 pounds. Averages: 20.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.8 blocks, 1.5 turnovers.

Forward Josiah-Jordan James (senior): 6-foot-7, 220 pounds. Averages: 8.8 points, 6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.6 blocks, 1.1 turnovers.

Center Jonas Aidoo (junior): 6-foot-11, 240 pounds. Averages: 12.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1 assist, 0.6 steals, 1.9 blocks, 1 turnover.

Tennessee's rotation

The Vols have a rotation made up mostly of eight players. That's the number of guys who average 13.4 minutes or more per game this season. Outside of the starting five, Jordan Gainey, Jahmai Mashack and Tobe Awaka all have gotten time for Tennessee.

How Tennessee stacks up with Alabama in scoring, defense and tempo

KenPom tracks adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, which are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. Tennessee has a top 20 offense and defense in those metrics. The defense for the Vols continues to be elite. In this matchup, the nation's best offense in Alabama and one of the nation's best defenses in Tennessee will be facing off.

Both Alabama and Tennessee will look to play fast, but the Crimson Tide plays faster. KenPom measures the adjusted tempo statistic based on the number of possessions per 40 minutes.

Adjusted offensive efficiency:

Tennessee: 119.2 (18th nationally)

Alabama: 128.2 (1st)

Adjusted defensive efficiency:

Tennessee: 91.9 (4th nationally)

Alabama: 102.7 (100th)

Tempo

Tennessee: 70 (65th)

Alabama: 72.9 (11th)

Score prediction

Alabama 87, Tennessee 84: This one's going to come down to the last few possessions. The Crimson Tide gets the slight edge considering this game is at home, a place Alabama has lost once the past two seasons.

Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men's basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball, Tennessee: Score prediction, scouting report