The first No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup of the season will take place this Saturday between two teams who have been playing in heated rivalry games for almost a century. Alabama hosts Auburn at Coleman Coliseum, where the Tide look to defend their home court in the first ever No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in SEC history.  

Auburn, who stayed in the No. 1 spot this past week despite receiving their first loss in SEC play at home against a very talented Florida team, is looking to bounce back and capture a huge road win. On the other hand, Alabama is riding a seven-game road trip where their last loss came against No. 19 Ole Miss in early January.

For Auburn, it all starts with arguably the best player in the country, Johni Broome, who has been the veteran leader of this Auburn squad all year. Broome expanded his game this year and has been able to shoot the ball at a higher rate, but he does a lot of his damage in the paint, where he will be matched up with Clifford Omoruyi, who is a defense-first center. Auburn does have a plethora of guards who facilitate well and control the game, such as Chad Baker-Mazzara, Tahaad Pettiford, and Miles Kelly.

Alabama’s offense revolves around their veteran leader, Mark Sears. The senior plays very similar to Jalen Brunson, a small guard who loves to shoot the ball but also attacks the rim looking for contact. Alabama is going to have to shoot the ball well, as the three-pointer is the key to their fast-paced offense. The Tide averages the most points per game in the country at 90.5 and shoots 34% from deep, averaging 30 three-pointers per game. Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and Aden Holloway are going to have to help Sears out on the offensive side as the two of them both shoot higher than 40% from behind the arc.

According to KenPom, Auburn ranks No. 1 in adjusted offensive efficiency while Alabama ranks No. 2. I wouldn’t be surprised if both teams score 90+ points in this game, and it will come down to the wire. I am leaning towards Alabama in this one, but it’s really a coin-flip game. Coleman Coliseum will be rocking, and the Tide haven’t missed a beat against top teams this year. This game starts a seven-game stretch against all currently ranked teams for Alabama, and I am going to back the shooting of the Tide in this game as they will start this gauntlet with a huge win over Auburn and will start next week ranked No. 1 in the country, the first time since the final poll of the 2023 season.

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