Alabama Can't Take Advantage of Big Stage, Little Moments in Loss to Auburn

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— It was the biggest home game in Alabama basketball history. ESPN's College GameDay" was in town earlier that morning for just the second time ever. Coleman Coliseum was packed to the rafters with a crimson-clad crowd, waiting to explode from the first jump. The stage was set for historic day in Tuscaloosa between No. 1 Auburn and No. 2 Alabama.

Instead of coming out with the energy that matched the home crowd, Alabama quickly fell behind by nine points and never led the entire game on the way to a 94-85 loss, sending the Crimson Tide fans home disappointed and early.

Even though Alabama faced the early deficit and trailed by as many as 14 in the second half, Auburn provided the Crimson Tide with plenty of opportunities to get back in the game. Alabama head coach Nate Oats always talks about winning the "first four" and "final four" minutes of a half. The Tide didn't win it in either half.

"We talk about starts and closes to the halves," Oats said after the game. "We started out nine-zip in the game. I think they ended the half on a 6-0 run if I’m told correctly, so that’s 15 points right there. Come out in the second half, it goes from nine to 14 before the first media timeout— that’s another five points. You’re up to 20. And then we tied it at one point at 68-68, I believe. I don’t know how much time was up there. Well, if you can take it from there on, we got outscored by nine, so we lose the game by nine.

“So the start to the first half, end of the first half, start to the second half, end of the second half they’re plus-29 if you take those runs together. We talk about starts and closes to the half, and we did an awful job, and they did a great job. "

After a rough first half, particularly shooting the ball, Alabama had cut the Tiger lead to two points with 3:38 to go before the break. Instead of tying it or taking the lead heading into the half, Alabama went scoreless, and Auburn was able to build its lead back up to nine points.

Alabama started 2-of-19 from the 3-point line, but a deep 3 from Mark Sears temporarily opened up the offense. The Tide made three of its next four shots from beyond the arc as part of a 10-0 run that eventually erased Auburn's lead and tied the game at 68-68 with just under 10 minutes to go.

The Coleman crowd was waiting to explode, but Alabama could never quite cross the threshold into winning territory. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl, who has been in the SEC for almost two decades, said it was the loudest he had ever heard Coleman Coliseum. Whenever Alabama had a run, his team had an answer.

"Basketball's a game of runs," Auburn forward Johni Broome said. "We knew that they were a good team. They're No. 2 for a reason. They're going to make some shots, especially when they're playing at home. It's about how we bounce back, and we just had to weather the storm.

Auburn went on a 7-0 run after Alabama had tied the game at 68. From that point on, the Tide never got the deficit lower than six points. But Alabama was handed a great opportunity when Auburn's Chad-Baker Mazara was called for a flagrant foul with 2:22 to left.

Alabama was trailing by seven points, but would get to shoot two free throws and get the ball after because of the flagrant. So the Tide could have potentially cut the deficit from seven to two. Instead, Chris Youngblood only made one of his free throws and Alabama was unable to score on the offensive possession. Auburn responded with four straight points to get the lead back to double digits and seal a road victory.

"Of course, you never want to lose on your home court, especially in front of a big crowd," Youngblood said. "It’s pretty frustrating, but it’s crucial that we move on and get ready for a pretty good Missouri team.”

Saturday was a chance for Alabama to claim its spot as the top team in the country and SEC in front of a huge crowd at home. Instead the Tide starts a brutal seven-game stretch with a loss.

"Nobody's feeling good today," Oats said. "Just lost to our arch rival. Had a chance in our own gym to do it. Brought “GameDay” in here. It was a great environment. That’s why we play. Love these games, but we came out with an L. So how do we respond?

“We just dropped our second home game. We haven't lost many home games here in the last five years. We lost to our rival. We had a chance to become No. 1 in the country. We had a chance to be No. 1 in the league. All that’s out right now. What we have right now is a chance to play again on Wednesday against Missouri, and we’ve got to answer the bell.”