Alabama basketball aims to score a victory over Tennessee on Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The Crimson Tide has started SEC play off strong, winning its first four games. But it hasn't faced a team of the Vols' caliber yet in conference play. Tennessee has a top 25 offense and defense, per KenPom. The Vols' defense ranks No. 2 in the country in defensive efficiency.

Alabama is No. 1 in offensive efficiency, though, so it will be a matchup of one of the country's best offenses vs. one of the nation's best defenses. Earlier in the season, the Crimson Tide couldn't find a way to close out tough road games during the nonconference portion of the schedule; Alabama will have an opportunity in Knoxville to show if it has grown from those close losses to teams such as Purdue, Arizona and Creighton.

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Alabama basketball score vs. Tennessee

What time, channel is Alabama basketball game on?

Time: 1 p.m. CT

Channel: ESPN2

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 score vs. Tennessee: Live updates