It's a big weekend for Auburn basketball. The No. 1 Tigers are heading to Tuscaloosa to take on the No. 2 Tide in a regular season matchup between the two best teams in the country. The rivalry has never been more heated, especially with former Auburn Tiger Aden Holloway now playing in crimson.
The game will be the first-ever 1 vs. 2 matchup in the SEC and the 44th in the history of the AP Poll. The Tigers are coming off a road win over Vanderbilt, but last weekend's loss to Florida is still top of mind for head coach Bruce Pearl and his squad. Auburn boasts a 22-2 overall record to Alabama's 21-3, and both teams are 10-1 in conference play.
However, Alabama is riding a seven-game winning streak into tomorrow's game, and they're gunning to steal the No. 1 ranking from the Tigers. With so much on the line, here is what the team had to say about the matchup.
Johni Broome on his ankle injury, per The Paul Finebaum Show:
"It's day by day, week by week, but right now I'm feeling the best I've felt so far, so I'm looking forward to getting back to 100 percent."
Pearl on how to beat Alabama, per Auburn Undercover:
"Our defense is going to have to be really, really good. They just don't need any time or space to get those shots off. They shoot them from way, way behind the 3-point line with great efficiency. Their spread ball-screen stuff makes it hard to protect the rim and protect that 3-point line. When it's running right, it's a beautiful thing."
Denver Jones on facing Aden Holloway, per Auburn Undercover:
"He's a brother, always will be a brother. Obviously he played here, so we have some familiarity about his game. We know a little bit of how he plays; it'll be fun playing against him again."
Pearl on what's at stake in tomorrow's game, per Auburn Rivals:
"When you walk into the locker room, you see an AU sign, but underneath it it says "make history" and that's something that has mattered to us. This game is going to have implications for who's going to win the regular season championship and positioning to be a No. 1 seed, either in the SEC tournament or the NCAA Tournament. There's a lot at stake. There's a lot riding on it.”
No. 1 Auburn basketball will tipoff against No. 2 Alabama from Tuscaloosa tomorrow at 3:00 p.m.