This is not the Iron Bowl, but it is pretty close. No. 1 Auburn brings a nation-long 17-game winning streak into the second meeting of the two this season, and no one would be happier to break it than Alabama. Auburn won the first game in Tuscaloosa, where it had lost 10 of the previous 12.
No. 1 Auburn vs. Alabama
Tuesday, 9 pm ET
TV: ESPN
Record: Auburn 20-1, 8-0 SEC; Alabama 14-7, 4-4 SEC
Spread: Auburn -6.5
Over/Under: 156.5
Moneyline: Auburn -280; Alabama +225
Injuries: Alabama reserve G Darius Miles (knee) is questionable.
Series history: Alabama won both meetings in the 165-game series last year, breaking a five-game losing streak and recording its first sweep since 2014-15. Alabama leads the series 99-66.
A look at Auburn
No. 1 Auburn is young, gifted and talented. A lack of experience has not kept Bruce Pearl’s team from running off 17 straight victories and making a quick rise to the top.
The Tigers bring a lot to the table, and it starts up front with fluid big men Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler.
Smith, a 6-10 freshman, is projected to be a top five pick in the 2022 NBA draft — some scouting services have him going No. 1 — and he is among DraftKings’ top dozen candidates for the Wooden Award at +2500. He is averaging 15.6 points and 6.8 rebounds.
Jabari Smith again showed his exceptional skill-level, making an array of difficult shots, while playing his usual lockdown defense in a win over Oklahoma. Another night at the office with 23 points and a career-high 12 rebounds for the potential No. 1 pick. pic.twitter.com/YS9pexYACb
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) January 30, 2022
Kessler, a 7-foot sophomore, is another of the Tigers’ four double-digit scorers at 11.3 points per game, but his primary value comes as a paint presence/rim protector. He has 85 blocked shots, second in Division I, and he averages a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game.
Sophomore transfer guards K.D. Johnson and Wendell Green have stabilized the backcourt. Johnson (13.2 points) played at Georgia last year Green (12.1 points, 4.9 assists) arrived from Eastern Kentucky.
Give Pearl credit for recruiting … and negotiating. He did little to downplay rumors of interest in the Louisville job after Chris Mack was let go last week, and Auburn fell for it. Pearl landed an eight-year, $50.2 million extension that lands through 2030.
A look at Alabama
Alabama was stopped short of the Final Four in its magical run that ended at No. 5 in the AP Top 25 last season, but it is making a habit of beating those who did this time around
The Crimson Tide’s 87-78 humbling of No. 4 and defending national champion Baylor last Saturday was its third victory over a 2021 Final Four team this season.
Bama took down No. 2 Gonzaga and No. 6 Houston in an eight-day span in early December, and the 83-82 win over Houston was the only one decided by fewer than nine points.
If only the Tide could play everyone like that.
Alabama has had a rollercoaster basketball season thus far 🎢
The Tide have lost to 6 unranked opponents, yet have beat 5 ranked opponents.
Three of the five ranked opponents they defeated were final four teams last year (Gonzaga, Baylor, Houston)#NCAAB | #RollTide pic.twitter.com/4cQ2KUBdk5
— bet365 US (@bet365_us) January 31, 2022
Living without the presence of glue guys like Herb Jones and John Petty, who contributed more than their stat lines — and they were good stat lines — has at times been hard to overcome.
Losses to Memphis, Missouri and, eek, Georgia have saddled the perimeter-oriented Tide with the reputation of a lackadaisical, tryin-one group that lacks focus.
Junior guards Jaden Shackelford (17.2 points, 64 threes) and Jahvon Quinerly (14.6 points) combined for 39 points against Baylor.
Facts to know
- Alabama played the eighth-most difficult non-conference schedule, according to KenPom
- Auburn is holding opponents to a 39.1 field goal percentage
- The Tide’s killer stretch ends with No. 5 Kentucky at home Saturday
Numbers to know
- 8-33 — Shackelford and Quinerly shooting from the floor in the first meeting
- 8.0 — Auburn blocked shots per game, tops in Division I
- 6 — Quad 1 wins by Auburn and Alabama, tied for third in the country
The pick: Alabama 78, Auburn 75
