On Wednesday, Auburn travels to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to take on No. 2 Alabama in a very anticipated matchup. This will be the second game in the series. Alabama took the first game at Neville Arena.
Alabama’s last game was against Arkansas at home where it was to cameback and picked up a three-point victory.
“They play great at home, they shoot great at home, they play with great energy,” said head coach Bruce Pearl.
The Tide is 15-1 in conference play, with their only loss coming from Tennessee.
Freshman forward Brandon Miller is the Tides' star player. Miller averages 19.7 points per game and had a career-high 41 points when the team traveled to South Carolina.
Miller is also Alabama’s best three-point shooter — shooting 46.8% from the field and 42.4% from the three-point line.
“You got to stay pressed upon him because if he’s got time and space, he’s such a great shooter,” Pearl said.
Junior guard, Mark Sears is Alabama’s second-leading scorer — averaging 13.4 points per game.
Both these players have played every game and average over thirty minutes.
Charles Bediako, a sophomore center, averages about two blocks per game giving him 48 on the season. Bediako looks to be the biggest challenge that the Tigers will face when trying to score inside the paint.
Alabama’s freshmen will be the players to watch as they have scored 52.1% of the team's points this season.
“It’s just another game, we're not into all the other stuff…We can take care of business,” said Auburn point guard Wendell Green Jr.
Pearl plans to put the players through many scenarios to prepare them for the end of the season. What will it mean if Auburn wins out, what will it mean to lose both of the next two games and finally to win one and then lose one.
“I've been in situations in other years where there's nothing left on the schedule to really get you over the hump," Pearl said. "You have to hope that somebody else loses. We don't have that situation. We're still in control of our own destiny.”
If the Tigers fall to Alabama, this will lead to a Tide sweep, something that hasn’t happened since 2020.
In addition, the Tide would also clinch the 2023 SEC regular season title. This would be their second in three years.
However, history tends to repeat itself and Tiger fans are hoping that comes true tonight. In the 2018-19 season the Tigers lost to Kentucky in Lexington and then moved on to beat Alabama and Tennessee before going on a run to the Final Four.
The game will take place Wednesday at 6 p.m. CST and be televised on ESPN2.
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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.
