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Alabama and Auburn meet on Saturday in what will be the first-ever regular-season SEC matchup between AP No. 1 and No. 2 teams.
ESPN’s College GameDay is on hand for the affair, marking its second-ever trip to Tuscaloosa for a college basketball game. And co-host Jay Bilas intimated that it likely won’t be the last. Certainly not so long as Nate Oats and Bruce Pearl remain with their respective programs.
“It’s gone from a rivalry game — which, it’s always been a heated rivalry game — to a supremacy game,” Bilas said. “This is now supremacy of the Southeastern Conference and nationally. What it speaks to is, I think, the job that the SEC has done but (also) specifically what Nate Oats and Bruce Pearl have done with their respective teams.
“These programs aren’t going anywhere. This is going to be happening year after year. It may not be 1 vs. 2, but it’s going to be top-5, top-10 every single year while those 2 (coaches) are here.”
Alabama (21-3, 10-1 SEC) and Auburn (22-2, 10-1) enter Saturday’s fight tied atop the SEC standings. The winner will enter the driver’s seat in the race for the regular-season title. It’ll also take a massive step toward a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament next month.
According to Joe Lunardi’s latest bracket projections for ESPN, both teams would land 1-seeds based on their season to date. Auburn would be the top overall seed in the field.
Tipoff between the 2 is set for 4 p.m. ET on ESPN. Fans on both sides can get in on the action using our Underdog Fantasy promo code.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
