Ahead of Auburn's No. 1-No. 2 matchup with Alabama on the hardwood this Saturday, many are reflecting on the journey from basketball obscurity to national relevance for the Yellowhammer State's two Power programs.
Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl is no different. While speaking to CBS Sports' Matt Norlander, Pearl revealed that he never took the Auburn job thinking a matchup the magnitude of the 2025 Iron Bowl of Basketball was possible.
"No chance. Absolutely no chance," Pearl said of imagining playing a game like this. "And that's not why I came to Auburn. I came to Auburn because I thought we could be competitive and bring credibility and we were going to compete.
"Alabama was my rival the minute I put the Auburn jacket on, but now it has national implications instead of just pride of the state. … It's never been this."
Alabama's Nate Oats similarly admitted that this game is going to be different for him, his team, Pearl, Pearl's team, and everyone in attendance who never dreamed that Alabama could be the center of the college basketball world.
"Now, I do know the ramifications are bigger and the spotlight's going to be bigger," Oats said. "We're going to do what we usually do but we know there's a lot more riding on this one."
Auburn losing to Florida may have been the perfect setback for the Tigers. Having since bounced back against Vanderbilt, AU comes in with a little bit of humility and a good amount of momentum.
Of course, momentum comes and goes. If that wasn't the case, the state of Alabama would still be waiting on football season.
Instead, the IBOB is in a position to usurp the gridiron's Iron Bowl if Pearl and Oats keep their programs consistently winning at the highest levels like they are.