Alabama versus Auburn is one of the classic rivalries in college sports, referred to in football as the Iron Bowl. These two in-state rivals will meet on the hardwood on Saturday in the type of matchup that has never been seen before in football.
No. 1 Auburn will travel to No. 2 Alabama, making this not only the first top-2 matchup between the two schools in basketball but also, interestingly, it has never previously occurred between the schools in football either.
The historic nature of this matchup doesn’t stop there. This will be the first-ever SEC contest between the top-2 teams in the AP Poll, and it’s just the fourth intraconference matchup between the top-2 ranked teams over the last 30 years. We sometimes get games like this come March and in the NCAA Tournament, but this taking place during the regular season in mid-February adds some extra gravitas to it.
Auburn (22–2, 10–1) had a 14-game winning streak snapped last Saturday versus #6 Florida, but the Tigers rebounded with a double-digit win over Vanderbilt on Tuesday. What makes Auburn’s offense the best in the land is its efficiency despite an up-tempo pace. The team ranks ninth in the country in made field goals per game but commits the sixth-fewest turnovers per game in college basketball. Auburn cherishes every possession and has no shortage of options to turn to each time it has the ball, with six players averaging over 10 points per game.
One of those, Johni Broome, leads the team with 18.1 points while leading the SEC in rebounds (10.7) and blocks (2.7). He’s logged 14 double-doubles this season, which is twice as many as any other SEC player. However, his Tigers will be battling program history if they want to knock off Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Auburn hasn’t won a true road game versus a top-5 opponent since 1988, as it has lost its last 14 such games. Also, top-ranked teams are just 3–7 on the road, all-time, against No. 2-ranked teams.
As for No. 2 Alabama (21–3, 13–1), it enters Saturday on a seven-game win streak, with an 11.4-point average margin of victory over this stretch. While Auburn plays at an above-average pace, Alabama uses a breakneck tempo as its pace ranks the second-fastest amongst the 364 Division I teams. The Crimson Tide led the nation with 90.5 points per game, with a high efficiency from inside the arc and a high volume from the charity stripe. The Tide ranks third in the nation in 2-point percentage (60.8 percent) and sits sixth in the country in free throw attempts per game (26.5). Thus, they can generate offense from multiple areas on the court.
Mark Sears, who was a Consensus All-American for Alabama last year, will certainly embrace this game coming in Tuscaloosa, as Sears has scored 20-plus in six of 11 home games. He’s also shooting 42.4 percent at home, versus 39.4 percent away from home, though Alabama has some defensive concerns. Bama averages three more turnovers per game than it forces, and the Tide gives up the fifth-most offensive rebounds in the country. That could be worrisome for an Auburn offense that thrives on efficiency and would certainly make use of extra possessions.
1v2 matchups are close to even all-time across the 44 matchups, with the top overall ranked team having 23 victories as opposed to 21 defeats. The gap between the two rankings is a little wider when you look at which has home-court advantage, as home teams are 11–7, all-time, in 1v2 games. While it’s been 37 years since Auburn won a road game versus a top-5 team, it has been 31 years since Alabama beat the No. 1 team at home.
If the season ended before this game even tipped off, both teams would be No. 1 seeds in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. But this game could have major ramifications in who gets the No. 1 overall seed for March Madness, as could future matchups between the two. They will meet again in their final regular season game on Saturday, March 8, as Auburn welcomes Alabama. Then, another matchup in the SEC Tournament is certainly possible, as is a contest in the NCAA Tournament, though the latter would likely have to come in a potential Final Four.
The SEC has clearly separated itself as the best conference in college basketball this season, and Saturday’s historic 1v2 matchup could make it clear who the very best team in the nation is. No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 2 Alabama will tip off at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday and air on ESPN.
