Auburn holds off competing Bama in top-2 face-off
Feb 15, 2025, 07:13 PM ET TUSCALOOSA, Ala.– Auburn and Alabama had never ever played as top-10 groups. On Saturday, the Tigers and Crimson Tide squared off as the top teams in the nation and didn’t disappoint.No.
1 Auburn went on the road and beat No. 2 Alabama 94-85 in the historic matchup of in-state competitors. And a rematch of the top-rated teams might be coming soon because they reunite in Auburn on March 8. And, they might not be done then– they could take on in the SEC and NCAA competitions.
“All eyes in college basketball were on the state of Alabama and the SEC,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said after his group enhanced to 23-2 and 11-1 in the conference. “What this conference has carried out in men’s basketball is historic.”
Pearl indicated Auburn’s hot start in the game, scoring the very first 9 points, as a key to winning on the road in big games.Editor’s Picks
1 Associated” You’ve got to play well early if you’re going to win on the road, “Pearl said. “We played well early, and as you would expect, Alabama came storming back, and I’ve never ever heard Coleman [Coliseum] this loud. That’s how the No. 1 groups in the nation need to act, that’s how they ought to compete, that’s how they should play. And I was actually happy with that.”
Alabama coach Nate Oats noted that run, too, in addition to Auburn scoring the final 7 points of the first half and 6 of the first 8 points of the second half as pivotal moments.The Crimson Tide rallied to tie ball game after routing by as numerous as 14 points in the second half however failed to finish the resurgence. They never led Saturday, the first time that had occurred in 87 home games under Oats.”I thought we played pretty tough and didn’t turn the ball over a great deal, “Oats stated, noting 7 turnovers. “Too many guys were getting threes off that weren’t expected to be getting threes and they go 12-for-30 from 3. “Auburn forward Johni Broome utilized the stage to reiterate his case in the player of the year race– one that took a struck after he missed two games due to injuries and played just two minutes in a 3rd. Broome managed the game Saturday, completing with 19 points, 14 rebounds, six helps, two blocks and a steal. Johni Broome, who had 19 points and 14 rebounds, led No. 1 Auburn to its first win over an AP top-two group since 1988. Picture by Brandon Sumrall/Getty Images
“I can be found in trying to be aggressive and I was kind of feeling it a little bit, so went and made some plays,” Broome said.Broome briefly left the game late in the second half due to a lower-body injury after an awkward spin move. He returned and made Auburn’s last two shots from the field.Broome was a dominating force from the beginning. He got his 10th rebound early in the second half, securing the double-double with just under 17 minutes left in the game.Broome and 5 colleagues scored in double figures
. Denver Jones scored 16 points, Chad Baker-Mazara and Miles Kelly added 15 points apiece, Chaney Johnson had 14 and Tahaad Pettiford broke in 13. Auburn starter Dylan Cardwell fouled out after playing simply 12
minutes, and Baker-Mazara, who came off the bench, fouled out with simply over 2 minutes staying. Johnson, who averages 23 minutes, picked up much of the slack, playing 33 minutes as Auburn shot 46% from the field.Auburn has 9 wins over AP-ranked teams this season. Saturday’s win was the Tigers’ very first over an AP top-two team considering that 1988;
they had lost 20 directly such games before removing Alabama, according to ESPN Research.Mark Sears scored 18 points and Grant Nelson included 12 points and 12 rebounds for Alabama, which got in the day shooting 34.4% from 3-point range however made simply 5 of its 26 3-point attempts(19.3 %)on Saturday.Oats used the loss to refocus his players for the three weeks till their next game versus the Tigers.”We’re not completely control of our destiny to win the league outright, but we are in control of our destiny to at least get a tie moving forward, “Oats stated. “We’ll see the maturity and management we have can be found in on Monday.
“The Associated Press added to this report.