AUBURN — All eyes will be on the action in Coleman Coliseum on Saturday as No. 1 Auburn and No. 2 Alabama face off in a battle for SEC and national supremacy.
“This is the first 1-2 matchup in the SEC that's ever happened,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. “I just don't think — if you would try and predict who would be in that matchup – Kentucky certainly would be a school that would be in it, it'd be Kentucky and who else? Could it be Tennessee? Could it be Florida? Could it be Arkansas back in the day with Nolan Richardson? Could it be a Dale Brown LSU team? Who could it be? I don't think many people would have picked Auburn and Alabama to be those teams.”
After dropping its first conference matchup of the year, No. 1 Auburn bounced back with an 80-68 road win against Vanderbilt on Tuesday night. The second-ranked Crimson Tide extended their winning streak to seven, dismantling Texas 103-80 behind 17 3-pointers.
“Alabama had a great postseason run last year, but this year's team is much better than last year's Final Four team,” Pearl said. “Everybody that has played them understands that they are just a great offensive team. They've scored 100 points, a gazillion-bajillion times. They’re seventh in the nation in points at the foul line. It's frees, layups and threes. It's a great system and they're just an incredibly dangerous team.”
Led by Mark Sears, Alabama boasts the nation’s top-scoring offense, averaging 90.5 points per game. The Crimson Tide leads the SEC and ranks 20th nationally averaging 10.2 3-pointers per game, with Sears often serving as the catalyst when things are firing on all cylinders.
"I sure wish he took our scholarship offer instead of Alabama's,” Pearl said jokingly. “He's a great competitor, really hard worker. Most of the time, when he steps on the floor, he's the best player on the floor, and his play is going to be really, really significant. So I know he embraces the rivalry, and he's just an incredible winner."
Sears is joined by an array of talent all over the floor as four other players are averaging double figures – Grant Nelson (12.7), Aden Holloway (11.8), Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (11.5) and Labaron Philon (10.4).
According to KenPom, Auburn boasts the nation’s most efficient offense and ranks ninth in scoring at 84.4 points per game, so a high-scoring affair seems inevitable. For Auburn, scoring isn’t the concern — especially on the road, with the Tigers shooting better than 40% from deep — stopping Alabama is.
“Our defense is going to have to be really, really good. They just don’t need any time or space to get those shots off," Pearl said of the Alabama offense. "They shoot them from way, way behind the 3-point line with great efficiency. Their spread ball-screen stuff makes it hard to protect the rim and protect that 3-point line. When it’s running right, it’s a beautiful thing.”
For a battle-tested Auburn group trying to remain undefeated on the road, a win on Saturday not only cements their status as a true contender – as if one was doubting – but ensures bragging rights remain on the Plains until March 8th – when the Crimson Tide makes the trek to Neville Arena for the regular season finale. Having won two top-5 matchups away from home already, experience in hostile environments is something the Tiger have under their belt. And it could prove essential on Saturday.
“I think part of it is that we have older guys. So we've been good on the road because we have some experience. I think in the non-conference, taking them to Houston, taking them to Duke, provided us with great challenges where we had to maintain our composure. We don't have any road games in the SEC, they're all neutral site games for us because the Auburn Family travels. So we're going to have people up in Tuscaloosa, and if we give them something to cheer about, I know we're going to hear from them.
Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. CTS on ESPN.
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