KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Levi Randolph scored 15 points Friday as No. 4 seed Alabama defeated No. 5 seed Tennessee 58-48 in a Southeastern Conference tournament quarterfinal between two teams seeking to improve their postseason credentials.
Alabama (21-11) advanced to a Saturday semifinal against No. 13 Florida, the tournament's top seed. Florida (25-6) trounced LSU 80-58 in its quarterfinal.
Trevor Releford scored 14 points for Alabama. Nick Jacobs had six points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
Josh Richardson scored 16 points for Tennessee (20-12), which lost for just the second time in its last 11 games. Jarnell Stokes added 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Tennessee and Alabama both entered this week as NCAA tournament bubble teams.
Alabama used its pressure defense to wear down Tennessee in the second half. The Volunteers shot 32.1 percent (18 of 56) overall, 50 percent (7 of 14) on free throws and 21.7 percent (5 of 23) on 3-pointers.
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