The magnitude of Wednesday night’s “Iron Bowl of basketball” matchup between No. 8 Auburn and Alabama speaks volumes to the state of college basketball in the state of Alabama.
While Bruce Pearl and the visiting Auburn Tigers waltz into Alabama’s Coleman Coliseum with an 11-game win streak and an unscathed SEC record, Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide have history on their side as the Tigers are just 6-46 from inside the confines of Coleman Coliseum.
Not to mention, Alabama swept the two-game series last season — something Pearl said “doesn’t sit great.”
“We played them well, twice, last year. We led for 60-some odd minutes in those two 80-minute games. We weren’t able to finish,” Pearl said of Alabama Tuesday. “They obviously had a great team a year ago as well. So we recognize we got beat twice by them last year. And that’s something that, at Auburn, when it’s your rival, it’s obviously something that doesn’t sit great.”
So on Wednesday night at 6:30, the rivalry renews for its 2024 edition as Alabama looks to snap Auburn’s 11-game win streak, while the Tigers will look to keep their flawless SEC record alive.
Follow along for updates:
Pregame | Starting lineups
For Auburn:
- G Aden Holloway
- G Denver Jones
- F Chris Moore
- F Jaylin Williams
- F Johni Broome
For Alabama:
- G Mark Sears
- G Latrell Wrightsell Jr.
- G Aaron Estrada
- F Grant Nelson
- F Nick Pringle
First half
19:31 — Auburn wins the opening tipoff and the Tigers capitalize as Johni Broome hits a game-opening 3-pointer. However, the game sees a stoppage quick due to issues with the lighting at Coleman Coliseum.
19:31 — After a 16-minute delay, game play resumed, picking up where it left off after Broome’s left-wing 3-point basket.
16:14 — KD Johnson hits a mid-range jumper to put Auburn out front 10-4. On the other end of the floor, Jarin Stevenson misses a corner 3-pointer. The Tigers are shooting the ball at a 75% clip to the Crimson Tide’s 43% clip early.
15:06 — More technical difficulties at Coleman Coliseum force a brief stoppage as the shot clock lighting that outlines the backboard got stuck in the “on” position and remains illuminated. The stoppage occurred as Auburn led Alabama 14-6 behind Johni Broome’s 10 points.
14:12 — Mark Sears drives his way right past the Auburn defense and into the lane for an easy 2-point bucket to trim Alabama’s lead. On the Crimson Tide’s next trip down the floor, Rylan Griffen nailed a 3-pointer to bring the game to 16-11 in Auburn’s favor.
13:38 — Rylan Griffen hits his second 3-pointer in less than one minute to bring the game within one possession.
13:00 — Latrell Wrightsell knocks down Alabama’s third-straight 3-pointer to give the Crimson Tide its first lead of the night, 17-11.
11:57 — Rylan Griffen’s heater continues as he knocks down his third 3-pointer of the half and Alabama’s fourth in less than three minutes. The Crimson Tide leads the Tigers 20-18.
9:53 — Rylan Griffen scores his 12th point of the night with his fourth-straight 3-pointer to put the Crimson Tide out front by five points.
7:24 — A 2-point bucket from Denver Jones pulls Auburn back within one point as the game goes to a media timeout. With Alabama out front 25-24, Rylan Griffen leads the Tide’s scoring efforts with 12 points, while Johni Broom leads the Tigers’ scoring efforts with 14 points.
6:32 — KD Johnson commits Auburn’s sixth turnover with an unforced errant pass out of bounds. While the Tigers have tallied six turnovers, the Crimson Tide have only committed a pair.