Alabama vs Auburn: 2020-21 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

When: 7:00 pm ET, Tuesday, March 2 on ESPN2

Location: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, AL

After Alabama clinched their first SEC regular-season title since 2002 on Saturday, the Crimson Tide return home to face rival Auburn in round two of the Iron Bowl on the hardwood.

Alabama clinched their first SEC regular-season title on Saturday night with a road win over Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide now sits at 19-6 overall and 14-2 in the SEC and is ranked #8 in the country.

The Crimson Tide have looked elite at times on both offense and defense all season long, and are headlined by SEC Player of the Year candidates in seniors John Petty and Herbert Jones. The Crimson Tide are getting previously injured Jordan Bruner back on track, but one thing that is not talked about enough is the recent play of Jahvon Quinerly, who scored in double-figures and shot nearly 60% combined from three during seven games in the month of February and will be getting his first taste of this rivalry. Alabama has its sights now fully set on the SEC and NCAA Tournament and could use this game to help fully regain their confidence.

Auburn on the other hand is winding down their 2020-2021 season as the Tigers are ineligible for postseason competition. Bruce Pearl’s Tigers have for the most part disappointed this season and may be without star freshman Sharife Cooper for this matchup.

The Tigers picked up a big win on Saturday where they defeated Tennessee 77-72 at home, but have lost six of their last eight games to currently sit at 12-13 overall and 6-10 in the SEC. Auburn has been without star freshman Cooper for the past two games due to an ankle injury but has gotten solid play recently from players such as Allen Flanigan and JT Thor. Auburn will want to finish the season on a high note, but this trip to Tuscaloosa to play your rival may be too much for the Tigers, especially potentially without Cooper.

These two teams previously met in Auburn back in early January where Alabama topped the Tigers 94-90. With Auburn having only two games remaining on their schedule, the Tigers will certainly want to finish a fairly disappointing season on a high note, but is this too much to handle for this young Auburn team?

Alabama will be looking to get back on track after not performing to their standards in their previous three games, and this game could be a blowout because of it. This game could get ugly quick, especially if Cooper is unavailable for Auburn. If Cooper does play, however, this game could end up similar to the previous matchup.

Prediction: Alabama 88 Auburn 70