In a game in which the Auburn Tigers were hoping to build a winning streak heading into the SEC Tournament, they instead faced a rival Alabama team that had their number all night long, losing to the Crimson Tide for the second time this season, 96-84.
“Alabama played well. They beat us at our own game. We got pushed around,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “We had a bunch of really bad turnovers which got us into a hole, and we weren’t able to dig out of it.”
With this loss, Auburn’s up-and-down regular season comes to a close. After a great beginning to SEC play, Auburn would lose eight of its last 10 conference matchups, severely hurting its chances of making the NCAA Tournament.
It is now likely that a run in the SEC championship will be needed if Auburn hopes to play late into March.
Despite an impressive second-half scoring performance in which the Tigers put up 53 points, they were unable to come back from a 19-point halftime deficit.
Auburn went down 8-0 early in the game and never once held the lead after that point. Surprisingly, Alabama would struggle at three-point shooting (the team’s calling card), only shooting 7-for-27 from long distance in the game. Instead, the Tide would rely on their size advantage, dominating the paint and the boards all night long.
Auburn’s defense struggled to contain the Tide in the paint all game long, as Alabama outscored Auburn 58-32 in the paint.
Keyshawn Hall (7) defends against Alabama in Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, AL on March 7, 2026.
Many of the points came from second-chance attempts. Bama recorded an otherworldly 19 offensive rebounds on the night, combining to win the rebound battle 42-28. Rebounding would ultimately be the reason for the Tigers’ loss.
Even though Auburn shot nearly the same from the floor as Alabama, the Tide would put up 10 more shot attempts than the Tigers. If Auburn hopes to have any success in the SEC Tournament, it will be important for them to crash the boards with much more authority.
Five different players for Alabama would score 10 or more points on the night, but it would be none other than their star guard duo of Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon that led the way for the Tide offensively.
Holloway and Philon combined to score 42 points and make five three-pointers. Freshman Amari Allen would also provide the Tide with a great scoring night, putting up 16 points on an efficient 8-for-12 shooting from the floor.
“It’s a great offensive team,” Pearl said. “They’re going to make shots and they’re going to make tough plays, but you’ve got to do everything you can to limit their second-chance opportunities. Credit to them, they did a really good job in that part of the game.”
Similar to Alabama, it would be Auburn’s guard duo that provided the majority of the team’s offense.
Junior Kevin Overton continued his streak of great scoring performances. The Texas Tech transfer would score 24 points, shooting 9-for-15 from the floor and 4-for-10 from three-point range.
Tahaad Pettiford also provided a great two-way performance for the team, scoring 19 points, recording four assists and securing four steals on defense.
Tahaad Pettiford (0) dunks on Alabama in Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, AL on March 7, 2026.
Auburn will be hoping for a bounce-back performance from star forward Keyshawn Hall, who unusually only put up eight shots Saturday night, as they head into the SEC Tournament. Hall has been inconsistent scoring ever since returning from suspension earlier in February.
The Tigers are set to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the SEC Tournament as a No. 12 seed in the bracket. The Tigers’ last matchup against the Bulldogs ended in a heartbreaking loss that Auburn will be hoping to avenge. Tipoff on Wednesday is set for 2:00 p.m.
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Jonathan is a freshman majoring in industrial and systems engineering. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2025.
