No. 1 vs. No. 2 certainly warrants major anticipation and hype, particularly in a rivalry setting, and this year’s first Iron Bowl of Basketball lived up to it and more as No. 1 Auburn picked up just its 10th win ever inside of Coleman Coliseum, defeating No. 2 Alabama 94-85 on Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers picked up their fourth AP top-10 win and ninth over a ranked opponent this season.
“I think the thing I'm proudest of is that all eyes of college basketball were on the state of Alabama and the SEC. What this conference has done in men's basketball is historic. And, you know, you never know whether or not a game can live up to the hype,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said following the Tigers’ program record seventh SEC road win of the season.
For Auburn, it started at the beginning of both halves. A cast of characters for the Tigers made five 3-pointers within the first two minutes of each period of play.
“I think what it does is it sends a message that we came here with the idea that we were going to try to win the game,” Pearl said. “We knew we'd have to play really well. We knew we'd have to bang shots. We knew we were going to get some clean looks.”
In the first half it was Johni Broome and Chaney Johnson that carried the Tigers offensively both recording double-digit point totals – which six Tigers did against Alabama on Saturday – with 12 a piece.
“We were very prepared. Coaches did a great job with the game plan. The kids executed early. You've got to play well early if you're going to win on the road. We played well early,” Pearl said.
Part of the Tigers’ hot start was Alabama’s uncharacteristic performance from deep, starting the game 0-for-9 from beyond the arc. The Crimson Tide would go on to finish 5-for-26 from deep with Mark Sears and Aden Holloway shooting a combined 3-for-15 from three.
“Honestly, it was just listening to the game plan. Our coaches put a great game plan in — how to guard their actions, especially the hardest actions. Honestly, it was just listening to that and trusting my teammates,” guard Denver Jones said of the Tigers’ perimeter defense.
Auburn, on the other hand, knocked down 12-of-30 3-point attempts with five players hitting multiple shots from deep.
“I was just coming out aggressively. If I had an open look, I was taking it. I was just trusting myself and trusting my teammates,” Jones said of his performance from deep.
For as much as the Tigers were able to jump out to an early lead, the Tide rolled back going on a second half run of 20-6 to cut a 14-point Tiger lead down to a tied game.
“We made eight of our last 10 field goals, that's how you close out a game. I thought that Tahaad hit a big one in transition, wasn't afraid to take that shot, kind of blew the lead up a little bit. Chad Baker-Mazara — we didn't have much offense running, we were trying to get the ball inside, and I don't know if the score was tied, it was pretty close — bang, he hits a three ball just with some experience,” Pearl said of the Tigers’ effort to close out a win in Coleman Coliseum.
Ultimately for Auburn, the Tigers – who were announced as the current No. 1 overall seed by the NCAA’s selection committee – continued their dominant run through a historically great SEC and got one step closer to a coveted regular season title.
“You know, it's a good win. That just shows how good the SEC is. We're gonna enjoy it for a little bit, but then it's on to a good Arkansas team. Credit to them, they played well. I'm proud of my teammates for putting up the fight that we did,” Auburn center Johni Broome said.
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Patrick is a junior from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2022.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @patrickabingham
