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Auburn Basketball: Tigers Aim To Upset Alabama in Iron Bowl of Basketball

By Nicholas Ian Allen

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The Auburn basketball team travels to Tuscaloosa tonight to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Iron Bowl of Basketball. The Tigers aim for an upset.

Auburn Tigers (10-8, 2-3) at Alabama Crimson Tide (12-6, 2-3)

  • Date: Saturday, January 24, 2015
  • Start Time: 7:30PM Central
  • Location: Tuscaloosa, AL
  • Arena: Coleman Coliseum
  • TV Info: SEC Network
  • Live Stream: WatchESPN
  • Odds (VegasInsider.com): Alabama (-11)

It’s his first time coaching in the Iron Bowl of Basketball, but head coach Bruce Pearl understands what the Auburn-Alabama rivalry is about. It may start on the court or the playing field, but it extends into recruiting battles, and more importantly, across communities.

Jan 21, 2015; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers forward Jordan Granger makes a shot against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the second half at Auburn Arena. The Bulldogs beat the Tigers 78-71. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

“Go back to your high school and think about your high school rivalry and how important it meant to the people in your community or your town or in this case your state. I understand that and I understand the responsibility that comes along with it and I look forward to it,” Pearl told reporters Friday.

“We are going to have a rivalry with them on the court. We are going to have a rivalry with them in recruiting because both Coach (Anthony) Grant and myself are committed to recruiting the best local players in the state.”

Pearl’s Tigers are in need of an upset Saturday to wash out the bitter taste of disappointment that came with a 78-71 loss to Mississippi State Wednesday at Auburn Arena.

Cinmeon Bowers had 16 points and 17 rebounds against the Bulldogs to grab his 12th double-double of the season. It was the fifth game this year in which Bowers had 15 rebounds or more, the most for an Auburn basketball player since Korvotney Barber in 2008-09. Between the 2009-10 and 2013-14 seasons, the Tigers had just one game in which a player had 15 or more boards.

Senior guard K.T. Harrell had 22 points against MSU, and Antoine Mason added ten, but Auburn couldn’t overcome an 18-point second half deficit and let an important SEC game slip away.

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Now, it’s on to the Crimson Tide.

“You want to win them all,” Pearl continued Friday, “but there is no team I want to beat more than Alabama in the SEC because I am Auburn’s coach. That’s how I feel, that’s how our fans feel.”

To win tonight in Tuscaloosa, the Tigers will need to upset an Alabama team with NCAA Tournament goals, but enters the contest on a three-game losing streak following a 93-91 overtime loss to Arkansas.

The Crimson Tide is led by captain Levi Randolph, who is one of the SEC’s best players. He’s the Tide’s top scorer with 14.8 points per game and also leads the squad in assists with 2.6 on average. They’ve also got a size advantage at every position, especially in the post with 6-foot-10 Jimmie Taylor.

Alabama is an 11-point favorite, but interestingly enough Auburn has wins over Xavier and South Carolina – the only two common opponents to date and two teams that beat the Tide earlier this year.

The Tigers have the talent to win, and anything can happen in a rivalry game. Expect a hard fought, close contest.

Projected Lineups:

Auburn

  • #5 Cinmeon Bowers, F, Jr., 6-foot-7, 278 pounds, 13.4 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 29.6 MPG
  • #25 Jordon Granger, F, Jr., 6-foot-8, 210 pounds, 5.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 22.6 MPG
  • #1 K.T. Harrell, G, Sr., 6-foot-4, 212 pounds, 17.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 32.4 MPG
  • #12 K.C. Ross-Miller, G, So., 6-foot, 178 pounds, 6.4 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 24.1 MPG
  • #14 Antoine Mason, G, Sr., 6-foot-1, 216 pounds, 14.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 28.8 MPG

Alabama

  • #2 Ricky Tarrant, G, Jr., 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, 13.3 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 2.1 APG
  • #20 Levi Randolph, G, Sr., 6-foot-5, 208 pounds, 14.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.6 APG
  • #21 Rodney Cooper, G, Jr., 6-foot-6, 215 pounds, 10.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.7 APG
  • #3 Michael Kessens, F, So., 6-foot-9, 215 pounds, 7.3 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 0.7 APG
  • #10 Jimmie Taylor, F, So., 6-foot-10, 240 pounds, 4.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.4 APG

Next: Football Recruiting: Jan. 23 Official Visit Updates

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