No. 2 Alabama Basketball Dealt Second SEC Loss Against No. 1 Auburn

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— The first-ever matchup between SEC basketball teams to feature No. 1 vs. No. 2 brought all the hype and theatrics that befit a Saturday rivalry game, including a number of former Crimson Tide hardwood standouts.

By the time SEC co-leaders Alabama and Auburn tipped at 3:16 p.m. CT, that hype, which included an appearance from ESPN’s College Gameday, was almost through the Coleman Coliseum roof. The Tigers ultimately triumphed in the teams' first regular season meeting this season, winning 94-85.

"I thought we played pretty hard, didn't turn the ball over a whole lot," Alabama coach Nate Oats said. "We outrebounded then by nine [49-40], we had 14 O-boards to their seven... We also wanted to get their shooters off the line. You go down the list, too many guys got threes off."

The No. 2 Crimson Tide was slow out of the gate. No. 1 Auburn took full advantage, starting out with a 9-0 lead. Superstar big man Johni Broome had eight of his team’s first 11 points. Alabama connected on just two of its 15 three-point attempts in the half.

There were no double-digit individual scorers for the Crimson Tide at the break. By comparison, the Tigers had two: Broome and Chaney Johnson. Despite the lid on the basket, Alabama competed for the first 20 minutes, at one point battling the lead down to 26-25.

The Tigers led 42-33 at intermission, closing the half on a 7-0 run which included a Johnson triple. Alabama point guard Mark Sears tried five three-point attempts in the opening frame and missed them all. Aden Holloway, an Auburn transfer, hit the Crimson Tide’s first of the afternoon well into the period.

"It was huge," Oats said. "We talk about starts and close[s] to halves. We started out nine-zip in the game... The start to the first half, end of the first half, start to the second half, end of the second half... We did an awful job; they did a great job."

Auburn’s run followed Alabama (21-4, 10-2 SEC) getting the score to 35-33, but being unable to affect the scoring column any further. The visitors used the cushion to race to a double-digit advantage in the second half’s early going, leading 55-41 with 15:45 to play.

By the under-12 media timeout, the Crimson Tide’s deficit was 60-49. Staring down the prospect of having to claw its way back, the home team stormed back, tying the game at 65 apiece with a Grant Nelson dunk and then tying it back at 68 on a Chris Youngblood three-pointer.

With 6:31 to play, it was a whole new game, albeit one Auburn (23-2, 11-1 SEC) led 71-68. The rivals, knotted at the top of the SEC, were trading blows. The Tigers’ Chad Baker-Mazara scored the next five points after the 68-all tie, and Auburn used that as part of another 7-0 run.

"You never wanna lose on your home court, especially in front of a big crowd," Youngblood said. "That was pretty frustrating, but it's crucial that we move on."

Bruce Pearl’s squad pulled away from there. Oats’ team had looks it couldn’t make, one of the themes of the night: failing to capitalize on opportunities during an off night from a shooting standpoint.

A late flagrant foul against Baker-Mazara gave the Crimson Tide a chance to get back into it, but Alabama couldn’t swing the game back in its favor after that. Nelson finished with a double-double for Alabama (12 points and 12 rebounds). Crucially, the Crimson Tide missed nine free throws. Sears was just 4-for-17 from the field.

Considering how Alabama shot the ball (39% from the field overall), things definitely could have ended worse against the top-ranked team in the country. The implications of this game stretch beyond just the rivalry: Auburn took back pole position in the league standings with the win.

"We're not in full control of our own destiny to win the league outright," Oats said. "We are in full control of our destiny to at least get a tie with the league moving forward... It's not an easy stretch, last seven games, I think is probably the hardest seven-game stretch of anybody in the country."

The Auburn game was the first of the final seven regular season games Oats mentioned. Alabama's next home game, next Saturday against Kentucky, will be the third; a road test against resurgent Missouri on Wednesday is the immediate next step for this Alabama team.

Crimson Tide center Clifford Omoruyi also matched up well in the kind of tough test for which Alabama needed a player like him on its roster this season. He finished with 12 boards, accompanied by eight points. Sears, Nelson, Holloway and freshman Labaron Philon finished in double figures.

Another of Alabama's struggles was finishing at the rim. While Auburn frequently had its shots roll in, whether the product of fortune, shooter's touch or some combination of the two, the Crimson Tide could not always counter this with makes from in close.

It was the first Alabama home game since Oats took over as head coach in which the Crimson Tide did not hold a lead. The fact is, regardless of if the other team is hoisting shots blindfolded, going 14-of-30 on layups is not a recipe for winning basketball.

Broome closed out the game with 19 points and 14 rebounds, a double-double of his own. Five other players for the Tigers scored 10 points or more, which was enough of a team effort to prevent the Crimson Tide from ever having a lead.

"They've proven to be the number one team in the country," Oats said. "We were not today, but we move on. We've got the six games left before the SEC Tournament. We need to be great in all six."

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