Tennessee is in the middle of a 4-game gauntlet to finish the season. So far, the Vols have aced the first two tests, beating Auburn at home before a brilliant and gutsy road win over Alabama Saturday night.

At various points of the game, both teams threatened to pull away. Tennessee was unable to build on an early first-half lead with the Tide coming back for a 41-39 lead at the break.

In the second half, Alabama built a 7-point lead early on but was unable to capitalize. Tennessee chipped away and eventually secured the lead down the stretch with some timely buckets and tough defense for the 81-74 win.

The tipping point in the game proved to be defense. Both teams shot under 40% from the floor, but it was Tennessee who limited Alabama to 9-for-37 (24%) from 3-point range. The Vols also forced Alabama into 12 turnovers.

The win showed some true toughness from Tennessee as Alabama actually did a good job of limiting Dalton Knecht to just 13 points on 5-for-14 shooting. Zakai Zeigler led the Vols with 16 points and Jonas Aidoo and Josiah-Jordan James also scored in double figures.

For Alabama, Mark Sears contributed a team-high 22 points and 6 assists while Aaron Estrada scored 16 points with 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Nick Pringle also delivered a huge performance off the bench with 13 points, 9 assists and 3 blocks.

Impact for Tennessee

With the win, the Vols take the lead in the SEC standings by one game with two games left to play. South Carolina and Alabama are in second place, and the Vols have no time to catch their breath.

Tennessee must turn around and make another road trip to face South Carolina Wednesday night before the regular season finale in a week against Kentucky. The game against the Gamecocks is especially important as South Carolina won the earlier meeting between the two sides.

While Tennessee has its sights on the league title and a No. 1 seed for the SEC Basketball Tournament, the Vols are still heavily in the mix for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Fans can track the latest odds for the postseason via SDS’s Tennessee sportsbooks.

Impact for Alabama

Alabama technically still has a shot at a share of the SEC title, but it will be tough with a one-game deficit in the standings and getting swept in the season series by the Vols. The Crimson Tide will also turn around quickly for a Tuesday road trip to face Florida.

For now, the focus for Nate Oats’ squad needs to be on putting this performance behind them and preparing for the final two games of the regular season. Alabama still has a great chance to nail down the No. 2 seed in the SEC, and that is plenty to play for at this point in the season.