TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 24/25 Alabama begins a stretch where three of its next four games will be played at Coleman Coliseum, as it takes on rival No. 4/4 Auburn Tuesday night in front of a sold-out crowd. The game, which is the first of two contests played between the in-state foes (Alabama returns the trip on Feb. 1), will be televised on ESPN.
It is the first time in nearly 35 years that Alabama and Auburn will square off with both teams ranked in the AP Top 25. In the last occurrence, then-No. 13 Alabama defeated then No. 17 Auburn, 88-82, inside Coleman Coliseum on Jan. 22, 1987.
Tuesday's game will mark the 165th meeting on the hardwood between the two schools, which is the fourth-most games UA has played against any one opponent. The Crimson Tide owns a 98-66 edge in the series and a 44-9 mark when playing Auburn in Coleman Coliseum, including wins in 10 of the last 12 games played between the teams under the arched roof
The Crimson Tide is coming off a 92-86 setback at Missouri last Saturday, marking UA's third consecutive loss inside Mizzou Arena. Alabama allowed the Tigers to go on a 22-5 that turned a one-point 50-49 deficit into an 18-point Missouri lead with just over 10 minutes remaining. It was the Tide's first loss to a non-Quad 1 opponent (Quad 3) this season.
It is the first time in nearly 35 years that Alabama and Auburn will square off with both teams ranked in the AP Top 25. In the last occurrence, then-No. 13 Alabama defeated then No. 17 Auburn, 88-82, inside Coleman Coliseum on Jan. 22, 1987.
Tuesday's game will mark the 165th meeting on the hardwood between the two schools, which is the fourth-most games UA has played against any one opponent. The Crimson Tide owns a 98-66 edge in the series and a 44-9 mark when playing Auburn in Coleman Coliseum, including wins in 10 of the last 12 games played between the teams under the arched roof
The Crimson Tide is coming off a 92-86 setback at Missouri last Saturday, marking UA's third consecutive loss inside Mizzou Arena. Alabama allowed the Tigers to go on a 22-5 that turned a one-point 50-49 deficit into an 18-point Missouri lead with just over 10 minutes remaining. It was the Tide's first loss to a non-Quad 1 opponent (Quad 3) this season.
The Broadcast
- Tuesday's game will be available on ESPN with Karl Ravech (play-by-play) and Jimmy Dykes (analyst) on the call
- The radio broadcast can be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with Chris Stewart (play-by-play), Bryan Passink (analyst) and Roger Hoover (sideline) on the call while Tom Stipe (engineer) is turning the dials. The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.
Notes You Need To Know
- The Crimson Tide comes into the game ranked No. 24 by the Associated Press and No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll according to the most recent national rankings, which were revealed Monday afternoon
- In addition to its national rankings, Alabama is ranked in the following (as of 1/10): No. 15 Sagarin, No. 17 KenPom.com, No. 18 ESPN.com BPI and No. 22 in the NCAA NET rankings. The Tide's "Best" NET wins include: Houston (No. 3), Gonzaga (No. 5), Tennessee (No. 11), Florida (No. 51), Oakland (No. 72) and Miami (No. 80)
- The Crimson Tide is one of five SEC schools that are ranked in this week's AP poll, which is tied with the Big 12 and Big Ten for tops among all conferences. Joining Alabama from the SEC is Auburn (No. 4), LSU (No. 12), Kentucky (No. 18) and Tennessee (No. 22)
- Alabama is the only team in the country to have three wins versus teams ranked in the top 15 of the NCAA NET rankings (No. 4 Houston, No. 5 Gonzaga and No. 11 Tennessee)
- The Crimson Tide is the only team in the nation to have not played a Quad 4 opponent this season. The Tide owns a record of 4-2 vs. Quad 1 teams, 3-1 vs. Quad 2 and 4-1 vs. Quad 3 foes
- Graduate transfer Noah Gurley has stepped up his game in conference play. Across the Crimson Tide's three SEC contests, the Fayette, Ga., native is averaging 10.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in 21.0 minutes per contest, while shooting 72.7 percent (13-of-18) from the floor and 66.7 percent (4-of-6) from beyond the arc
- NET RANKING FACTS: Alabama is tied for second in the nation in Quad 1 wins (4) and combined Q1 and Q2 wins (7)... The Tide is the only team in the nation that owns three NCAA NET top-12 wins (No. 3 Houston, No. 5 Gonzaga, No. 11 Tennessee)... The Tide is the one team in the nation to have not played a Q4 opponent... Alabama boasts the No. 1 Average Opponent NET Rank in the nation
- The Crimson Tide's current 17-game home winning streak, which began on Dec. 22, 2020 vs. East Tennessee State (won, 85-69), is tied for the sixth-most consecutive home wins in the nation. It is Alabama's longest home winning streak since claiming a school-record 24-straight home wins from March of 2010 to December of 2011
- UP NEXT: The Crimson Tide will play its lone road game in the current four-game stretch when Alabama travels to take on Mississippi State on Saturday, Jan. 15 at 5 p.m. CT on SEC Network