Labaron Philon Had a 'Real Manifestation' in the Last-Second Win Over Auburn

Staying in the Springhill Suites Marriott hotel, Labaron Philon drew out his college basketball dream on a notepad when he was just nine-years-old.

The Mobile, Alabama native grew up in the Iron Bowl rivalry, but he knew back then which side of the fence he stood on. The bottom of the drawing, which his family still has 10 years later, states Philon's college decision: “And the university I will continue my academics and basketball career is The University of ALABAMA.”

The drawing is also a prediction for Philon to hit the game-winning shot against Auburn after Alabama was down 54-53 with one second to go.

Labaron Philon Drawing at 9-years-old | Alicia Robinson

Fast-forward to today, Philon is a starting guard for the Crimson Tide and just faced Auburn on the road in the final game of the regular season this past Saturday. Alabama was ranked No. 7 while the Tigers were No. 1. Earlier in the season the bitter rivals faced off in Coleman Coliseum as No. 1 vs. No. 2 but Auburn came out on top.

Tied at 91 with 15 seconds left in overtime two days ago, Philon dribbled the ball up the court while directing his teammates. Forward Grant Nelson set a screen by the three-point line, which Philon went halfway around before passing it to fellow guard Mark Sears. Philon then moved around Sears to get the defender slightly out of the way and Sears drove down that path and sunk a floater by the free-throw line for a game-winning buzzer-beater.

"Yeah, it was so crazy," Philon told The Next Round on Monday. "When we were walking [back] into the locker room [after the game] and I was just saying to myself 'That's a real manifestation. I drew that picture.'

"Even though we didn't win by a three-point bucket, it was still a game-winner. I was saying to myself 'Did I really just predict that?' And then it happened on their floor and it was kind of crazy. It was just a fun experience."

Of course, the dream didn't come 100 percent full circle, as Philon didn't take the game-winning shot. However, he was a big catalyst on the play and also shined in the latter portion of the game Philon had 13 points in the second half/overtime with a game total of four rebounds, three assists and a steal.

Saturday's win moved Alabama up to the No. 5 spot in the AP Top 25 while Auburn dropped to No. 3. The victory also gave the Crimson Tide the 3-seed in the SEC Tournament.

6-seed Kentucky will face the winner of 14-seed Oklahoma vs. 11-seed Georgia and then whoever comes out on top of that game will go head-to-head with the Crimson Tide on Friday night. If Alabama triumphs, it'll face the winner of 4-seed Florida vs. 15-seed LSU/10-seed Mississippi State/7-seed Missouri.

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