Auburn Basketball Has Chance to Win State and Burst Alabama’s Bubble

Auburn basketball looks to stay undefeated against in-state basketball teams when it heads to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama. Auburn (11-16, 5-10) has won two of their last three games, while Alabama (16-11, 7-8) is on a two-game losing streak after losses to Mississippi State and Kentucky after previously winning five games in a row.

Even with an 11-16 record overall, there is obviously a lot riding on this game for Auburn. Not only is it a big game against their rival Alabama, but it would also give Auburn its first season sweep over Alabama since the 2009-2010 season. Alabama is also sitting on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament, so the Tigers have a perfect opportunity to knock them completely out of the Tournament.

Alabama fans will make jokes about at least having a shot at the tournament, but I would want nothing more to bring them down to our level and wave farewell to their tournament chances on their own floor. A win in Coleman Coliseum would just be another step is solidifying Auburn as the best team in the state, regardless of their injuries.

This game is big for Auburn and Alabama, but it’s also big for the two coaches once again. Bruce Pearl is looking to even up his record against Auburn’s biggest rival after going 0-2 last season. Avery Johnson hopes to avoid that same fate and get at least one win over the Tigers in his first year. Both coaches are looking like they will be around for awhile based on early samples, but in five to six years we all know that Auburn and Alabama fans could very well be using records against the rival team as a end all, be all reason to fire or keep a coach.

Avery Johnson hasn’t had to deal with quite the adversity and challenges that Bruce Pearl has had this season, but what Johnson has done with this Tide team is still very impressive. It’s hard for me to say a bad thing about Avery Johnson other than the fact that he’s coaching for the school I don’t like at all. Johnson has taken a team that was picked to finish 13th in the SEC (three spots behind Auburn) and has them sitting one game below a .500 record in conference and a 16-11 record overall. Both schools, coaches, and players will want to win this one and it’s once again exciting to see the build up for a basketball game in the state of Alabama.

Auburn is looking to have a much better chance than most would have guessed a few weeks ago. Also, just a week ago Alabama was rolling and on a five-game winning streak with big wins over LSU and Texas A&M. Auburn on the other hand had lost seven games in a row and seemed to be losing players at an even faster rate. Now things have turned a good bit and once again it’s looking like a good game.

Auburn has now won two of their last three games, while Alabama is coming off of a home loss to Mississippi State (who won without Malik Newman) and a road loss to Kentucky. Alabama will still be a solid favorite in this game mainly because they have a bigger margin for error and get to play the revenge game on their home court.

The margin of error is so small for Auburn right now, but somehow Bruce Pearl has the Tigers still finding ways to get wins, even if it does take a career night from three or four guys to get it done. Against Arkansas Bryce Brown, Tyler Harris, Cinmeon Bowers, and TJ Lang had great games and then Jordon Granger and TJ Lang led the way against Georgia. It’s hard to predict who will step up each game, but at least with T.J. Dunans back Auburn has one more weapon that could potentially give them an increased chance of winning.

While T.J. Dunans has been a big help in both of his games back, Auburn is now playing without Tyler Harris. Harris was doubtful for the game against Georgia and eventually sat out completely after suffering a concussion against Ole Miss. I would be surprised if he is able to play on Saturday, so we’ll have to assume Auburn will be playing Alabama without another one of their best scorers.

I said that T.J. Dunans was the key for Auburn against Georgia, and while he did a great job of getting players involved with his seven assists, he didn’t lead in scoring like I thought he would need to do. Despite being wrong, I’m going to once again state what I think is inevitable and say that T.J. Dunans will have to have his big scoring night on Saturday in Coleman Coliseum.

Alabama is a good defensive team this season under Avery Johnson, but Dunans has what it takes to quickly burst to the basket and attack the rim. As he gains more and more confidence in his knee, Dunans will only get more aggressive and less limited by the injury that he worked so hard to overcome.

Alabama has plenty of size down low with Jimmie Taylor, Shannon Hale, Michael Kessens, and Donte Hall. Without Harris attacking the basket as well, Dunans will need a strong performance from Cinmeon Bowers and another great game from Jordon Granger to help alleviate the pressure on Auburn’s perimeter shooters.

In the last meeting in Auburn Arena Cinmeon Bowers finished with 18 points and 20 rebounds and powered Auburn to a victory. It might take another performance just like that to get it done on the road. With Bryce Brown and TJ Lang adding more points on the perimeter and Dunans also adding a big scoring boost, Bowers doesn’t need to score quite as much, but the rebounding will be pivotal. I think Bowers and Horace Spencer need at least 10 rebounds apiece to keep Auburn in the game.

We’ll hope for hot shooting on the road once again, but when Auburn does miss, they need to take advantage of offensive rebounds to get second chance points where they can. Alabama allowed Kentucky to out-rebound them 41-29, including giving up 15 offensive rebounds. Auburn is a little short handed in the size department, but Bryce Brown had a career high six rebounds against Georgia. Spencer will also have to stay out of foul trouble so that he can stay in the game and help anchor the boards with Cinmeon Bowers.

On defense, I think having T.J. Dunans back will be the biggest improvement from the last game. Retin Obasohan has had a great year and an exceptional last few games. Obasohan finds a way to get to the basket and score even when no one else on the team is able to get something going. While Dunans knee will limit him some, he still has the ability to guard Obasohan off the dribble and definitely has a size advantage closer to the basket. I think that Dunans will be able to handle Obasohan better than most guards that have faced him, but Bryce Brown and TJ Lang will have to play well defensively when they find Alabama’s star guard in front of them on defense as well.

I’ve loved watching Obasohan play this year, but I’m not going to be cheering him on this time. Auburn will need to stop Obasohan from getting the offense rolling, otherwise his success will start to allow the other areas of Alabama’s offense to get rolling as well. The Tigers need to play their best defense early in the game and try and take Alabama’s crowd out of the game early on.

Coleman Coliseum will be packed on Saturday since Auburn is in town and Alabama will be receiving the Iron Bowl Football trophy at halftime. If Auburn is able to start well and build on a lead like they did against Georgia, they might get a good bit of the fans to leave at halftime after the trophy is presented. This seems like really wishful thinking, but Auburn has a slight chance of getting it done. Bowers will have to will the Tigers in this one, and Dunans and Brown need to contribute more than a normal amount of points.

I’ve been looking forward to this game since a few hours after we beat them the first time, and the excitement has been growing as I write all of this. Alabama will always be the most enjoyable win, and Auburn could really use it this season to allow a season sweep to overshadow all the bad things that have taken place.

Avery Johnson has Alabama going in the right direction fast, and Bruce Pearl could really use the head start in this rivalry before it really gets going. Obasohan is the obvious key for Alabama, and Auburn will need good play from a handful of players.

Coleman Coliseum has been a hard place to play on a few occasions this season, but it’s also been a place where even Mississippi State has been able to get a win. Once again, I’m predicting this rivalry game with a little bit of wishful thinking, but I think Dunans is able to match the athleticism and explosiveness of Obasohan and hold him from scoring more than Auburn can handle. Bowers and Spencer will win the battle on the glass despite being out-numbered and out-sized.

Auburn basketball gets the 80-79 win in front of a very angry crowd. I’m pumped. War Eagle!

Time: Saturday, 4 p.m. CST

Opponent: at Alabama

Location: Coleman Coliseum

TV: SEC Network