No. 3 Alabama Silences Raucous Neville Arena for Just Third Time in 11 Years
Dating back to Feb. 6, 2013, the Alabama Crimson Tide had lost eight of 10 games at Auburn.
And one of those wins came in a near-empty Auburn Arena on Jan. 9, 2021 — due to COVID-19.
Prior to head coach Bruce Pearl’s arrival in 2014, basketball was an afterthought on “The Plains.” Now, Neville Arena rivals Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium and Kentucky’s Rupp Arena for the most challenging venue to win at in the sport.
“It’s an amazing atmosphere,” guard Mark Sears said. “It’s something [you've dreamed] of playing [in] since you were a kid.”
“Everything that’s been said about Auburn’s crowd is true,” guard Rylan Griffen said. “It’s loud. […] We knew we could play on the road as long as we [were] focused and locked in.”
Tents and camping gear were outside of the arena for days. The third-ranked Crimson Tide’s arrival had been circled on the calendar for quite some time.
There were certainly times of uncertainty throughout the afternoon — the Tigers led by as many as eight points. But like it has all year, Alabama walked into a tough environment and left with an uptick in the win column.
“I don't feel like the noise is going to rattle any of our guys,” head coach Nate Oats said. “Our guys came ready to go. […] [The environment was] great. It’s what makes college basketball different than the NBA. You're not going to get this passion out of the fanbase in an NBA game.”
“This is the toughest environment to play in.”
The Crimson Tide adds a road win over the Tigers to an already impressive resume — with wins on the road over then-No. 1 Houston, then-No. 21 Mississippi State, then-No. 15 Arkansas and Missouri.
Alabama is hoping its fans show up in droves to Coleman Coliseum on March 1 when Auburn makes the return trip to Tuscaloosa.
“We’ll have our fans there this time,” Griffen said. “Hopefully we can come out and be just as loud as they were.”
“Hopefully our fans pack our arena out,” Oats said. “Hopefully there’s not one empty seat when they come back to Coleman [Coliseum]. I think that’s what makes college basketball so great.”
The Crimson Tide has yet another tough road contest up next. Alabama travels next to Knoxville to take on No. 6 Tennessee on Wednesday night.
Tipoff between the Crimson Tide and Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena is set for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2 / ESPNU.
See Also:
Alabama Escapes Auburn with 77-69 Win, Stays Undefeated in SEC Play
BamaCentral Courtside: No. 3 Alabama 77, Auburn 69
How Alabama and Auburn Basketball Compare on The Recruiting Trail
