Alabama St. @ Tennessee preview

Tennessee's defense has certainly been consistent to this point. The 17th-ranked Volunteers have allowed 63, 63 and 62 points in their first three games, which should present a challenge for Alabama State, which pays a visit on Wednesday night.

Tennessee passed its first major test Saturday in Toronto, where Jordan Bowden (18) and Lamonte Turner (16) combined for 34 points in a 75-62 triumph over Washington. "We've got to go test ourselves," coach Rick Barnes said. "We have to do that. We've always believed in that. We believe that this time of year, it's really about trying to get yourself ready for conference play. To do that, you've got to play a high-level opponent like we played today." The Volunteers forced the Huskies into 17 turnovers and limited them to 5-of-18 3-point shooting to remain undefeated on the young season. They certainly could be a handful for Alabama State, which is facing a daunting opponent for the third time in four games this season.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network+

ABOUT ALABAMA STATE (0-3): The Hornets got thrown into the fire to begin the 2019-20 season as they have already faced Gonzaga (95-64 loss) and Houston (84-56 defeat). The team is averaging just 56.7 points so far, which barely ranks in the top 350 nationally. The only player averaging more than 7.3 points is Tobi Ewuosho, who is scoring 14 per game and has made 16 foul shots - nearly as many as the rest of the team combined (17).

ABOUT TENNESSEE (3-0): Bowden is the leading scorer on the team at 18.0 points per game, including 9-of-14 3-point shooting so far, and second-leading scorer Yves Pons (16.3) is a crisp 5-of-8 from long range. As a team, Tennessee is making 46.2 percent of its 3-point attempts, one of the top reasons that the Volunteers are averaging 19.7 assists, which ranks in the top 20 nationally. Turner (12.7 points) is second in the country with 9.3 assists, while John Fulkerson has solid all-around averages of 11.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 block per game.

TIP-INS

1. Ewuosho, a 6-5 guard, leads Alabama State in rebounding (5.0).

2. Tennessee won the only prior meeting in 2005.

3. Bowden (995) and Turner (989) are on the verge of reaching 1,000 career points.

PREDICTION: Tennessee 77, Alabama State 59