After Auburn narrowly lost to Florida on Saturday, many thought the Tigers were going to lose their #1 status. However, they remained at #1, followed closely by their bitter rival, the Alabama Crimson Tide. This weekend, for the first time in college basketball history, two regional SEC rivals will face each other as the top-2 teams in the country. There are no words to describe how unmissable Saturday’s contest is – it will be a historic day in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama and Auburn Are Entering Saturday Off of Mid-week Victories
Alabama faced a physical Texas team on Tuesday, needing to take care of business on the road before returning home for their rivalry clash on Saturday. They did that and more in Austin, winning 103-80 and fueled by 17 three-point makes.
Four players had 3 or more treys, and 7 different players connected from long range. The team not only made many, but also shot a highly efficient 58.6% from beyond the arc. They also crushed the Longhorns on the glass, winning that battle 41-25.
Turnovers were a big problem in the game. With 17 total, head coach Nate Oats was keen to point out that lack of ball security has become a “major issue” for the entire team. This will be the primary focus for the team during the week’s preparations.
Meanwhile, Auburn defeated Vanderbilt 80-68 on Tuesday. Chaney Johnson and Denver Jones led the way with 20 and 21 points respectively, shooting a combined 16-20. While Auburn shot 51% from the field as a team, they held Vanderbilt to under 42%. Although the Tigers were -2 from the charity stripe, +18 from the three-point line made a big difference.
The Tigers were outrebounded 37-29, a number that they will need to improve against Alabama. The Tide are one of the best rebounding teams in the country and rarely lose when they win the rebounding battle.
Critical Matchups for Saturday’s Alabama-Auburn Clash
Chad Baker-Mazara had 0 points last time out and will likely be looking to be aggressive early. Chaney Johnson had 20 off the bench in the game, but Baker-Mazara and Tahaad Pettiford will need to help take some of the pressure off Johnson and contribute to the bench scoring. Bama had almost 50 bench points against Texas, a number that Auburn will need to be closer to than the Horns were.
Mark Sears will likely be marked by Denver Jones, who is one of the best on-ball defenders in the country. Even if Sears continues his strong scoring output, Jones has the ability to serve it back to Sears on the other end. Against Vandy, Jones had an explosive 21 points.
Denver Jones scored 21 points on just 10 shots in No. 1 Auburn’s 80-68 win over upstart Vandy. Six of his seven buckets were basically nothing but net.
The dude did not sniff the iron. Jones is up to 53% on catch-and-shoot 3s this season. pic.twitter.com/PJRu6SLl1U
— Isaac Trotter (@Isaac__Trotter) February 12, 2025
Alabama’s bigs will have their hands full with Johni Broome, who, despite his 17 and 7 against Vanderbilt, will not be happy with his poor first half and inefficient scoring output. He will be battling Clifford Omoruyi, Grant Nelson, and Aiden Sherrell. Omoruyi has the physicality to make it difficult on Broome, and Nelson also is a tremendous rebounder. Nelson specifically has the ability to stretch the floor on offense and take Broome away from the rim, which would negate a big-time shot blocker. Alabama’s five-out system will test Broome’s perimeter mobility and minimize his ability to clog the lane for drivers.
Auburn is a much bigger team, playing two big lineups frequently and also relying on great size at the wing. Alabama has several undersized guards, including Sears, Aden Holloway, and Labaron Philon, who will need to be ready for the physical battle when putting the ball on the deck. Philon showed tremendous poise in a game against Kentucky, where he had fantastic stretches in the second half, and will need to replicate that performance on Saturday.
Nate Oats is 6-4 against Bruce Pearl during their tenures in the rivalry. This game is going to be an absolute war between two teams that don’t like each other and have as much talent as anyone in the country. It is going to be a truly fantastic occasion. Tip-off is 1 p.m. Eastern.
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