Surviving a double-OT test vs. Auburn isn't enough for the Vols and coach Jerry Green, who play host to Alabama on Tuesday.(Allsport)

But that's the date and site for a matchup of two top teams who survived tough Southeastern Conference road tests Saturday to build momentum for a big-time showdown. Alabama, after an impressive 82-73 win at Louisiana State, is 12-1 and ranked No. 16. Tennessee, after some Isiah Victor heroics pushed the Vols past Auburn in double overtime 96-88, is 14-1 and ranked No. 4. The teams square off Tuesday Night in Knoxville in their only meeting of the season.

In their respective victories, both teams displayed the kind of courage needed to win road games in the rugged SEC.

The Tide relied on 19 second-half points from Rod Grizzard (game-high 23) to separate from the stubborn Tigers, who had a 14-game home-winning streak snapped. Although freshman wing Gerald Wallace gets more attention, especially from the highlight shows in love with his leaping ability, it is Grizzard, a sophomore forward from Birmingham, who is 'Bama's best player.

How excited were the Tide with the win? They stood on the press table after and nearly caused a brawl with LSU. It was the most ill-thought postgame celebration this side of Boston College. Although we appreciate the enthusiasm.

Vols coach Jerry Green will have his hands full Tuesday as he throws a talent-rich team in front of a sold out Thompson-Boiling crowd. Against a stellar Auburn effort, Victor was dominant in both overtime sessions, scoring a career-high 34 points. He made 12-of-20, proving that while the power man is often overshadowed by his more dynamic teammate, Vincent Yarbrough, he too can finish you.

Yarbrough, who had 23 points and seven assists, hit three free throws to force the second overtime.

Which now places two red-hot squads in Knoxville for a major January matchup. Historically unusual? Yes. But well deserved. And our game of the week.

Winners

Here's a look at some big winners (and later losers) over the weekend action and what to look for this year:

Big East surprises

"I don't know if anyone noticed, but we haven't lost a game yet," Georgetown coach Craig Esherick said.

He's probably right. The 12th-ranked Hoyas haven't gotten a ton of attention, but what would Esherick say if he was Al Skinner at Boston College? The Eagles (12-0) beat then-No. 10 Connecticut at home and Miami on the road last week yet BC just entered the AP poll Monday at No. 24. There's a chance BC could walk into Duke on Jan. 16 still unbeaten.

The winner here is the Big East, which is showing strength deep into the conference, something it has lacked in recent years.

The Hoyas, for their part, are 13-0 and Saturday's win over Seton Hall in D.C. was a legit performance against a legit team -- no Mt. St. Mary's or St. Leo's.

Georgetown is off to its best start since 1989-90 and with Lee Scruggs back, it has a deep and talented roster. They weren't the preseason favorites in the Big East, although with Scruggs, Ruben Boumtje Boumtje and Kevin Braswell maybe they should have, but they now may be the team to beat.

Which doesn't mean Esherick is by any means satisfied. Like BC, getting people to notice takes more than a gaudy early season record.

"I told my (kids) I don't wake up in the morning trying to be ranked (12th)," Esherick said. "I don't get up and dream of improving to (11th). I don't dream of being (14-0). That's not me and I want to have guys in the program who aren't happy with that either. They should be proud of what they've accomplished, they deserve the ranking and the record, but I don't want guys who are happy at No. (12). I want guys who want to win championships, Big East, Regionals, NCAA Championships."

Mike Davis

On the day Rick Pitino became available and some monied interests in Indiana began plotting his arrival, interim Indiana coach Mike Davis took a major step in securing the job for the long haul Sunday as the Hoosiers (10-6) upset then-No. 1 Michigan State.

Winning thrilling buzzer-beaters against top-ranked defending national champions -- causing students to storm the court for the first time in memory -- will do wonders for your credibility. Davis, whose Hoosiers play at Michigan on Tuesday, says he wants to be a head coach next season, preferably at Indiana. When asked if this would help, he smiled.

"I hope it would," Davis said. "I accepted this job so No. 1, we could have a season this year and, No. 2, so I could be a head coach next year."

Davis will need to make some noise in March to secure the job in Bloomington, but a win like Michigan State will cause some search committee out there to take notice. If it is not at Indiana, it will be somewhere.

Bradley

Entering the season, no coach in the Missouri Valley Conference was under more job scrutiny than Bradley's Jim Molinari. Sunday, the Braves ended conference-favorite Creighton's seven-game winning streak with a 73-68 overtime triumph. Bradley (7-5) has won five of six.

Stanford

In the Pac-10, one team spent a lot of the preseason discussing the likelihood of having an undefeated season. We won't name names but they live in the Grand Canyon State. Now if anyone has the right to make that statement it is the nation's new No. 1 -- Stanford.

The Cardinal (13-0) are not just deep, gifted and playing together, but they have cleared what is on paper their two most difficult hurdles -- beating Duke in Oakland and Arizona (85-76) on Saturday in Tucson.

Maryland

The one-time Twerps are back and finally showing the firepower that was expected out of them. Saturday, they broke their streak of four consecutive 100-point games by managing just 93 against Georgia Tech. No. 14 Maryland (11-3) got a season-high 28 points from guard Juan Dixon. Even better, Terence Morris is finally playing his game again.

Massachusetts

The Minutemen are still just 3-9, but Bruiser Flint is pleased with his team's second-half effort against George Washington in a 76-60 win in Amherst. Down by as much as 15 points in the first half, UMass was on meltdown, but assistant coach Mike Connors heaved orange peels at the players at the break. The oranges worked as guard Monty Mack emerged from a season-long slump and scored 28.

UMass is still a long way from good, but this could be the first step in an A-10 run that is needed to prolong Flint's tenure.

Iowa State

Down 14 in the first half to Oklahoma in Ames on Saturday, the Cyclones stormed back with 3-pointers. No. 18 Iowa State (13-1) wound up cruising to a 100-80 win, the highest point total against OU since 1955. Long-range bombers Jamaal Tinsley and Jake Sullivan each scored 17.

North Carolina

The enigma that is Brendan Haywood writes another chapter. Coming off a zero-point performance in North Carolina's ACC opener, he scores 24 on unbeaten Wake Forest, including a last second, game-winning lay-up. The reason for his motivation? He was teased at his barbershop.

Baylor

The Waco magic continued, as the Bears stayed perfect (12-0) when they held off Colorado 61-56 Saturday at a sold out Ferrell Center.

The Mid-Con race

Oral Roberts (5-9) dropped five-time defending Mid-Continent Conference champion Valparaiso 77-64 on Saturday.

While Valpo remains the favorite once again, any loss is appreciated. A bigger problem for the Crusaders (9-5) is injuries.

"We have a senior and two juniors hurt," Valpo coach Homer Drew said. "We just don't have the experience."

New Mexico State

Any time the Aggies (5-9) get the best of archrival New Mexico (10-2), as they did in a 79-68 OT win Saturday, one has to wonder if there was enough tequila in the cabinet in Las Cruces.

Minnesota

With the academic scandal, the departure of Joel Pryzbilla and a no-name roster, Minnesota has no business being 13-2 and out-lasting Wisconsin 54-49. But here they are, after a game only the Upper Midwest could love, that finally ended Badgers coach Brad Soderberg's eight-game career winning streak.

Utah

Rick Majerus is released from the hospital.

Losers

Here's who kicked away an opportunity or fell apart over the weekend:

Virginia Tech

The Hokies' first-ever Big East win was there for the taking as they played just good enough vs. Villanova in Cassell Coliseum to hold a second-half lead. But the Wildcats rallied, forced overtime and escaped Blacksburg with an 85-83 victory.

Florida

Sure the Gators got jobbed by the refs after a bad call with 2.5 seconds left gave South Carolina another shot Sunday.

But Florida should be ashamed for falling for the oldest in-bound play in the book when Travis Kraft in-bounded the ball and then immediately got it back and drilled an uncontested 3-pointer for the 69-68 win. What's worse is South Carolina ran the same play twice in a row and no Gators adjusted.

Seton Hall

Not only do the Pirates look painfully young in a dispirited loss at Georgetown, but Tommy Amaker suspends Eddie Griffin and Kevin Wilkins for violating team rules. No comment was made on why -- Amaker wasn't talking to the media -- but Ty Shine(r) left the postgame locker room with a fresh bandage under his eye.

Now the Hall get to face Notre Dame and Troy Murphy, coming off a 37-point effort against Rutgers, without star freshman Griffin.

Marshall

Ultra-talented and given much national respect, the Thundering Herd have been coasting against weak opponents in the early Mid-American Conference season and it finally caught up to them at Miami of Ohio on Saturday. After being forced to overtime by Buffalo and beating Western Michigan by just two, maybe it was no surprise the Red Hawks blew them out 71-54.

St. Bonaventure

Poised a week and a half ago to enter the Top 25, the Bonnies (8-4) are on a three-game skid. First came Canisius, then St. Louis and finally a 20-point loss to Temple in Philly on Saturday.

Arizona

Five losses and it's early January, the Wildcats (8-5) have been a disappointment. Credit goes to Loren Woods, who at least admitted Stanford was better Saturday.

After hearing about jet lag, bad officiating, injuries and Bobbi Olson as reasons for defeats, it was time for the No. 21 Wildcats to admit they aren't as good as all of us thought they were.