After a much-needed week off, Auburn returns to Neville Arena to host rival Alabama in another highly anticipated edition of the Iron Bowl of Basketball.
The two squads enter the matchup with four SEC losses apiece, facing the nation’s No. 1 (Alabama) and No. 2 (Auburn) strength of schedules, respectively.
“I’m gonna tell our guys that this game matters to our fans,” said Auburn head coach Steven Pearl. “We always talk about wanting to do things for our fans, so if you want to make our fans happy, beat Alabama. This is a big game, but we can’t approach it any differently than the games that we played last week.”
The matchup will feature the league's most prolific scorers in Alabama’s Labaron Philon, Jr., and Auburn’s Keyshawn Hall. Philon leads the SEC with 21.4 points per game and is the catalyst for the nation’s No. 4 scoring offense at 91.6 ppg. The Tide is coming off a 100-point outing against Texas A&M – the first team to do so against the Aggies this season – and has eclipsed the 100-point mark six times this season.
“Labaron is going to be a first-round draft pick,” Pearl said. “Shoots great percentages all over the floor. He is probably their most willing passer. He just does a lot of really good things for them.”
Additionally, Alabama averages a nation-high 36.1 3-point attempts per game.
“It’s one of those things where every time a shot goes up, you think it’s going in because they have such great shooters," Pearl stated.
One of those great shooters is former Auburn guard Aden Holloway, who averages 17.2 ppg and shoots a team-high 43.8% clip from deep for Alabama.
“I knew this progression was going to happen for Aden because I’ve always known how good Aden was,” Pearl said.
Hall has scored 20 or more points in 13 of his 21 games and surpassed 30 points three times. He is second in the nation in free throws made (159) and is on pace to shatter Auburn's single-season record of 208.
He will have an opportunity for another high-scoring outing against the nation’s 345th-ranked scoring defense, with Alabama allowing 83 points per game. Auburn, meanwhile, boasts the nation’s 34th-ranked scoring offense at 84.4 points per game and is averaging 92.6 at home, where it owns a 9-1 record on the season.
“We can’t get into a 3-point contest, and we can’t get into a transition contest with Alabama,” Pearl said. “That’s what they do really well. What we do really well is attack the rim. That’s what we’ve been good at all year.”
With Auburn looking to defend a 67-6 home record since the start of the 2021-22 season, tipoff is set for 3 p.m. on ESPN2.
“Going to be another incredible environment,” Pearl said. “Our students have been camping out since Monday. Obviously, we’re fired up. Another important matchup for us, as well as them.”
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