Bruce Pearl has made believers out of the college basketball world with what he's been able to do with an Auburn Tigers roster that was rocked by attrition in the offseason due to the NBA draft and a lack of remaining eligibility for some.
The Next Round Live's Lance Taylor and Jim Dunaway are perhaps two of the biggest around.
After overhauling a roster with transfers Keyshawn Hall, KeyShawn Murphy, Kevin Overton, and DII's Elyjah Freeman, plus commits from Kaden Magwood and Filip Jovic, among others, and to top it all off, Tahaad Pettiford's return, Dunaway tabbed Auburn as an Elite Eight-level team.
"I think Auburn will be perceived in the preseason as at least an Elite Eight roster, and I think Alabama will be perceived in the preseason as at least a Sweet 16 roster," Dunaway said. "Now, I don't think either fan base will happy if they only go to the Sweet 16 and the other to the Elite Eight, but I think that's how the perception will be of these two teams when we tip things off in November is that Alabama will be slightly behind Auburn on the roster scale."
Taylor spoke to Pearl and Alabama's Nate Oats being proven entities at this point after the Crimson Tide made the 2024 Final Four and the Tigers made it this past March/April.
"Well, when you know who the established coach is, and every single year, they have success. You've got that with Bruce (Pearl), you've got that with (Alabama coach Nate Oats)," Taylor said. "Bruce has been to two Final Fours, Nate from a Final Four to a Regional Final last year, you just figure these guys know how to assemble the roster, and they already got a good, solid core to begin with."
AU sits ahead of UA in projections, but the most important thing is that momentum doesn't seem like it'll stop on the Plains in terms of recruiting any time soon.
Something more sustainable, whether Bruce makes a run for Alabama's US Senate seat or not, looks to be forming in the Loveliest Village.