For the second time in three years, Alabama men’s basketball is attempting to take both the Southeastern Conference regular-season and tournament trophies.

The one-seed Crimson Tide will end its week in Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena with a rematch against two-seed Texas A&M (25-8, 15-3 SEC). Head coach Nate Oats is 0-3 against the Aggies in his time with Alabama, most recently losing eight days ago in Reed Arena.

The Tide (28-5, 16-2) has shot the ball moderately better than it did in that 67-61 loss, stringing together two elite defensive performances against Mississippi State and Missouri. Under head coach Buzz Williams, Texas A&M boasts a well-rounded team, allowing more than 70 points just once since Feb. 11, going 9-1 in that stretch.

Sunday’s winner will gain automatic entry in the NCAA Tournament, which starts Tuesday, but both teams have likely earned their spots in the field with strong regular seasons. However, with Kansas getting blown out by Texas Saturday night, the Tide may have a window to the No. 1 overall seed.

AL.com is courtside with full coverage of the SEC championship. Just refresh this page once the contest tips off on ESPN at 1 p.m. CT.

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PREGAME

—Same starting five that the Tide used in its first two SEC tourney games: Mark Sears, Jahvon Quinerly, Charles Bediako, Noah Clowney and Brandon Miller.

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].