As the SEC slate begins to wind down across the conference, Auburn women's basketball will head to Tuscaloosa, Ala. to try and do what it was unable to do in its own arena.
The Tigers take on in-state rival Alabama at 4 p.m. CST for the second time this year, looking to avenge an 88-57 loss in Neville Arena.
In that first matchup, Alabama took Tigers by 31 points and then went on to win its next two games. If the Tide pulls off another win, they will improve to 19-6 overall and 8-4 in conference play.
A win for Auburn would double the team's SEC win total from last season and put an end to what is currently an eight-game losing streak to the Tide. It would be the Tigers' second road win in a season for the first time since 2019.
This will be the Tide’s first home game in two weeks. They previously played at Missouri and Kentucky, both of which were wins. On the other hand, Auburn is on a two-game losing streak, having fallen to both Arkansas and No. 1 South Carolina at home.
Against the Gamecocks, freshman Sydney Shaw matched her career high in scoring with 15 points for the Tigers. The freshman class pulled their weight for Auburn during that game — Oyindamola Akinbolawa led the team with seven rebounds.
Alabama is the top three-point shooting team in the SEC and ninth best in the nation. They have held their opponents to 58.7 points and average 71 points per game.
Brittany Davis, a graduate student transfer, leads the Tide in point per game with 18.2, while junior guard Aaliyah Nye is Alabama’s reliable three-point shooter. She averages 45.5%, putting her at the best in the SEC.
Auburns leading scorer Aicha Coulibaly missed Thursday’s game against South Carolina due to injury. However, in the post-game conference head coach Johnnie Harris said that she expects Coulibaly to play.
This game will act as a precursor to the Super Bowl for Auburn and Alabama fans. When it comes to playing on the Super Bowl, Auburn is 13-14 all time and 4-4 over the past eight years. Last year was the first year sine 1997 that the Tigers have not played on Super Bowl Sunday.
This is the third time that these two teams will meet on Super Bowl Sunday, with all three meetings having been played in Tuscaloosa.
After this, the Tigers return home to take on Texas A&M Thursday, Feb. 16 in their Play4Kay Pink game. The game will be played at 7 p.m. CST, streaming on the SEC Network+.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Lily has been with The Plainsman for three years and started out as a Sports Writer before becoming the Operations Editor. She graduates in May of 2024 and is from Washington, D.C.
