Ad Disclosure
Alabama stunned Auburn 93-91 in overtime on Saturday afternoon.
The Crimson Tide won the game on a buzzer-beater by veteran guard Mark Sears. The bucket silenced the crowd at Auburn’s Neville Arena on Saturday afternoon as the Tigers were celebrating Senior Day. Instead of a joyous afternoon, though, Auburn will have to lick its wounds as it heads to the postseason.
Alabama was able to overcome a 34-point effort from Johni Broome as well. It was Broome who hit a 3-pointer in the final minute of the game to tie things up before Sears decided the game. It was a season-high point total for Broome, who’s considered a strong contender for the Wooden Award.
Here are 3 takeaways from the game:
Mark Sears, Grant Nelson come up clutch
Mark Sears hit the game-winning shot, but it wasn’t his only contribution in crunch time. He also made a couple of clutch free throws down the stretch that proved to be crucial. He finished the game with 9 points and a game-high 7 assists.
Grant Nelson was perhaps the bigger influence on the game as a whole. He scored 23 points, which led all Alabama scorers. A big part of his performance was going 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Entering this game, Nelson had made just 2 3-pointers total since the start of February.
Nelson also had a big offensive rebound late in the game that helped Auburn keep pace with the Crimson Tide. His 8 rebounds were tied for a game-high.
Emotional contest
Although there was very little on the line in terms of the standings for this game, it was still an emotionally-charged game for both teams. For Auburn, it was senior night and the Tigers were looking to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time all season. For Alabama, the Crimson Tide needed this win to get back into the No. 1 seed discussion. The Crimson Tide were also looking to avenge a home loss to this Auburn team from earlier in the season.
At times in this game, the emotions overflowed. Alabama forward Grant Nelson caught some headlines after he hit the ‘Crimson Crane’ celebration following a poster dunk. That move was not appreciated by Auburn fans or Bruce Pearl, who argued for a taunting call that never came.
There was also an incident in the 2nd half when Auburn’s Chad Baker-Mazara was ejected for elbowing Alabama’s Chris Youngblood in the back of the head. The Tigers played most of the 2nd half and all of OT without Baker-Mazara on the floor.
Looking ahead to the postseason
Both of these teams will now re-group entering the SEC Tournament next week in Nashville. Alabama and Auburn both earned double-byes at the SEC Tourney, meaning they will not play until the quarterfinals begin on Friday.
This win also puts Alabama back in the mix for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, depending on what happens in Nashville next week. The Crimson Tide are competing with several schools for a spot on the 1-line, including Duke, Florida, Houston and Tennessee, amongst others.
Perhaps these teams will meet again in the SEC Tournament title game on Sunday — if so, Auburn wouldn’t have to wait long for a chance at revenge.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
