For only the 23rd time in NCAA men's basketball history, the AP No. 1 and No. 2 teams are playing each other in the regular season. The last time we saw this was in 2016 when Kansas beat Oklahoma in triple overtime. When Auburn and Alabama take the court on Saturday it will be the first time that the SEC will feature a top two matchup.
This rivalry game between the Crimson Tide and the Tigers has been on everyone’s radar since before the season started. Both teams started the season with sky-high expectations, though Alabama was considered the better team. But Auburn quickly rose to the top of the rankings and has had a stranglehold on the college basketball world for the past five weeks. Even with a loss this past weekend, Auburn is still arguably the best team in the country. Alabama after some early season struggles, is starting to find its rhythm at the perfect time of the season and is making its case to be the top team in the nation.
When these two teams meet on Saturday it will be the 169th game in the series, which dates back to the 1923-24 season. Alabama leads the series 100-68 and has won six of the last ten matches, but none of those Auburn teams were nearly as good as the one that will hit the court this weekend. It will be a tough task to knock off the No. 1 team in the country. This rivalry is usually tinged with hostility and the energy in Coleman Coliseum will be palpable especially since whichever team wins the game will have sole possession of the top spot in the SEC and will most likely be the No. 1 team in the newest AP rankings. Alabama is more than good enough to take down any team in the country, but it will take an excellent game. Here are three keys for Alabama to take down No. 1 Auburn on its home court.
1. Slow down Auburn’s three-point attack
This season Auburn has taken a ton of threes and has made them a pretty good clip. The Tigers have made 37.2 percent from deep this season on 25.5 attempts per game. The number of threes attempted per game has gone down slightly in SEC play but Auburn’s three-point percentage hasn’t. The Tigers have improved slightly since conference games started and are now shooting 37.3 percent from deep. Which is the fourth-best percentage in the SEC. Denver Jones (43.8%), Miles Kelly (40.5%), and Tahaad Pettiford (40.3%) have been lethal at times from behind the arc this season.
Something will have to give in this matchup. For as good as Auburn is from deep, Alabama has been just as good - maybe slightly better - defending the three. The Crimson Tide are the 14th-best three-point defense on the season holding opponents to 29.3 percent and are the second-best SEC team defending the three since the start of conference play.
Over the last three games, Alabama has only held one opponent to under 35 percent from three. The Tide can’t afford to have Auburn go shot-for-shot with them from deep, especially with how poor Alabama's defense has been as a whole. Auburn has been off a little from three over the past few games, so Alabama might be catching the Tigers at the perfect time. If Alabama can limit the impact of Auburn’s deep ball then the Tide should have a great shot at getting the win.
2. Keep Auburn off the offensive glass
Few teams in the country thrive on the offensive glass like Auburn. Only Texas A&M pulls in more offensive boards than the Tigers in SEC play. Auburn is averaging 11.2 offensive rebounds per game during conference play, though the Tigers have only reached their average twice in the last four games. Auburn big men Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell are the biggest reasons for the Tigers' success rebounding on that end of the court. Broome is averaging 3.7 offensive rebounds this season, which has greatly helped his scoring average, and Cardwell is averaging 2.5.
Alabama on the other hand has struggled to keep opposing offenses off the glass. The Tide have improved in this area since the start of SEC play, but still rank dead last in the conference for offensive rebounds allowed with 11.5 per game. Alabama has allowed 11 or more offensive rebounds in each of its last seven games. And although the Crimson Tide is 7-0 in these games, if any of those teams had elite offenses like Auburn, Alabama most likely wouldn’t escape unscathed. Alabama has proven it can win without dominating the boards, but if the Crimson Tide can keep Auburn off the offensive glass it will only make things easier for Alabama in this game.
3. Win the turnover battle
Winning the turnover battle will be huge in this game. These two teams are complete opposites of each other when it comes to turnovers. Auburn is one of the best teams in the country when it comes to protecting the ball. The Tigers average 9.3 turnovers per game. On the defensive end, Auburn has done a good job this season forcing turnovers. Auburn is forcing just over 12 turnovers per game.
Alabama, on the other hand, has struggled with turnovers all season, averaging 13.4 per game this season. And though the offense has been more than enough to make up for it, Alabama has turned the ball over at least 14 times in each of their past five games. And when Alabama is on defense the Tide are only averaging 9.6 forced turnovers per game.
Alabama does hold the advantage when it comes to fast break points, but with how little Auburn turns the ball over these extra scoring opportunities might not come as often. If the Tide can limit any unforced errors and take care of the ball, then there is no reason why they can’t knock off the No. 1 team in the nation.