Auburn basketball vs Alabama score, updates, highlights from Tigers' win over Crimson Tide
Any time Auburn and Alabama play in any sport, it means something within the borders of its home state, with precious, hard-earned bragging rights on the line.
This weekend, more than just the state of Alabama had its eyes on the Crimson Tide and Tigers' men's basketball teams. The entire country did — and under that gaze, Auburn rose to the occasion.
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On Saturday, in a matchup of the top two teams in the nation, Auburn got off to a fast start and held off multiple runs from Alabama for a 94-85 victory at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
In the first-ever SEC game between the two highest-ranked teams in the sport, the Crimson Tide never led, marking the first time that had ever happened in a home game since Nate Oats was hired as the program's coach in 2019, according to research from ESPN.
Johni Broome lived up to his billing as one of the favorites for various national player of the year awards, finishing with a team-high 19 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and two blocks while playing for the final stretches of the second half on a reaggravated ankle injury. Broome was one of six Auburn players to finish in double figures, a group that also included Denver Jones (16 points), Chad Baker-Mazara (15), Miles Kelly (15), Chaney Johnson (14) and Tahaad Pettiford (13).
The Tigers looked strong defensively for much of the game, holding a high-powered Alabama offense to 33 points in the first half. The Crimson Tide, who average 10.2 made 3-pointers per game, missed 17 of its first 19 attempts from beyond the arc, many of which were contested by Auburn's relentless on-ball pressure that routinely gave Alabama guards little room to work or execute dribble hand-offs.
Mark Sears finished with a team-high 18 points for the Crimson Tide, but missed 13 of his 17 shots, including nine of his 11 3s.
After trailing by nine at halftime and as many as 14 in the second half, Alabama fought back to tie the game at two different points in the second half, but after the second of those, Auburn scored seven unanswered points to build a 75-68 lead with 5:35 left. The Crimson Tide wouldn't get closer than five points for the remainder of the game.
With the victory, the Tigers, who were already No. 1 in the Associated Press top 25, will move up to the No. 1 spot of the Paste BN Sports Coaches Poll Monday.
Auburn and Alabama will meet again on March 8 at Neville Arena, the Tigers' home arena.
Here's a look at the score, updates, highlights and more from Auburn's victory over Alabama:
Auburn basketball vs Alabama score updates
| TEAMS | 1H | 2H | F |
| Auburn | 42 | 52 | 94 |
| Alabama | 33 | 52 | 85 |
Auburn basketball vs Alabama live updates
FINAL: Auburn 94, Alabama 85
Auburn gets the upper hand in the biggest game of the season. Six Tigers players finish in double figures, led by Johni Broome's 19 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, all of which are team highs.
Coach Bruce Pearl's team, already No. 1 in the Associated Press top 25, will move up to No. 1 in the Paste BN Sports Coaches Poll while leaving little doubt that it's the best team in the country.
Chad Baker-Mazara fouls out
Auburn will try to ice its win against Alabama without one of its best players. Chad Baker-Mazara, after a lengthy review, is hit with a flagrant foul and has fouled out. The veteran guard finishes his day with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Tigers backup big man Dylan Cardwell had previously fouled out.
Auburn with an 86-78 with 1:37 left.
Auburn holds on to six-point lead heading into final minutes
An Auburn team that already has 13 Quad One wins this season is four minutes away from its biggest victory of the season.
The Tigers held strong while Johni Broome was on the bench, outscoring Alabama 6-1 in the 1:37 while Broome was out of the game. Auburn leads 79-73 with 3:53 remaining. Tahaad Pettiford has been huge in the stretch, with seven points in the past four minutes.
Johni Broome injury
While narrowly holding on to its once sizable lead, Auburn may have to go the rest of the way with a less-than-his-best star player.
After executing a series of post moves and missing on his shot attempt in the paint, Johni Broome went back to the other end of the court limping and signaled to the bench for a substitution. Broome missed two games earlier this season with a sprained ankle, though it's unclear if that's what's bothering him.
Broome has a team-high 15 points, 12 rebounds and six assists today. The Tigers' lead is down to three, 71-68, with 6:31 left. What a game.
Alabama gets within a basket
Auburn pushed its lead to 13, 63-50, but Alabama has responded with authority. The Crimson Tide has scored 10 unanswered in a period of just 1:46, with Labaron Philon accounting for four of those points. Mark Sears caps the run off with his first made 3-pointer of the day, prompting a Bruce Pearl timeout. Sears had missed his first six attempts from beyond the arc.
Auburn's lead is down to three, 63-60, with 9:27 left.
Chad Baker-Mazara gets into it with Alabama fans
Don't forget: this is a rivalry game.
While trying to save a ball from going out of bounds, Auburn's Chad Baker-Mazara fell into the photographers sitting courtside and the fans in the front row behind the baseline. He exchanged some words with the fans, with one fan getting heated based on something Baker-Mazara said. Not sure if Baker-Mazara, who wears his emotions on his sleeve on the court, thought he was pushed and reacted based on that belief, though it didn't appear to be anything aggressive.
Auburn comes out hot in second half
The areas in which Auburn excelled in the first half are continuing to work out for the Tigers in the second half, at least so far.
Coach Bruce Pearl's team has made five of its seven shots, including three of its five 3-pointers, in the second half while still putting the clamps on Alabama, which is now missed 16 of its 18 3s today, many of which have been contested.
Auburn's lead is up to 14, 55-41, with 15:45 left. Johni Broome already has a double-double, with 14 points and 10 rebounds. With five assists, a triple-double is somewhat realistically in play for him. It's Broome's 15th double-double in 25 games this season.
Alabama vs Auburn halftime stats
Here's a look at where things stand statistically at halftime between No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Auburn:
- Field goal percentage: Auburn 37%, Alabama 31%
- 3-point percentage: Auburn 32%, Alabama 13%
- Free throws: Auburn 8-8, Alabama 9-13
- Turnovers: Alabama 5, Auburn 2
- Bench points: Auburn 22, Alabama 15
- Points in the paint: Alabama 16, Auburn 10
- Assists: Auburn 8, Alabama 2
And here are some individual stats for the Crimson Tide and Tigers:
Auburn
- Johni Broome: 12 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 4-10 shooting
- Chaney Johnson: 12 points, 2 rebounds
- Chad Baker-Mazara: 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Alabama
- Grant Nelson: 6 points, 7 rebounds, 2-7 shooting
- Mark Sears: 5 points, 2-8 shooting, 0-5 3-pointers
- Cliff Omoruyi: 0 points, 8 rebounds
Halftime: Auburn 42, Alabama 33
Auburn run pushes lead to nine
Alabama was threatening to take its first lead of the game, trailing 35-33 and with the ball with about three minutes left in the first half. In what's been a game of runs, though, Auburn has ripped off seven unanswered points to take a 42-33 lead right before halftime.
Auburn holding on to six-point lead
The game has followed a familiar rhythm so far. Auburn will build a sizable lead and threaten to break the game open early before Alabama gets within a basket, after which Auburn extends its lead again. At the under-four media timeout, the Tigers are up 35-29.
The Crimson Tide hasn't looked comfortable offensively for much of the day, making only 11 of its 30 shots and two of its 14 3-pointers. Auburn's defense deserves some credit in that. The Tigers have been locked in for much of the day so far on that end of the floor. Johni Broome has a game-high 10 points while Chad Baker-Mazara, who also has two fouls, has eight points, four rebounds and two assists.
Mark Sears picks up second foul
A potentially big moment early in the game, with Alabama star guard Mark Sears picking up his second foul with 8:16 remaining in the first half.
It came with his team charging back, having scored five unanswered to get within four, 26-22. Sears got whistled for reaching in while trying to steal the ball from Auburn's Chad Baker-Mazara.
It was a slow start offensively for the Crimson Tide, who average 10 made 3-pointers a game, but didn't sink its first shot from beyond the arc until about nine minutes remaining in the half.
Alabama comes charging back
With the top two teams in the country facing off, you knew it wasn't going to be a lopsided game for long.
After falling behind 14-4, Alabama goes on a 9-0 run, with four different players pitching in for coach Nate Oats' team.
Johni Broome gets Auburn out to early lead
Auburn's all-American is playing like one in his team's biggest game of the year. Johni Broome has eight points and has made three of his four shots to get the Tigers out to an early 14-6 lead on Alabama.
There was a lid on the basket early for the Crimson Tide, which missed its first six shots while falling behind 9-0.
Pregame
Auburn vs Alabama new start time
With the game between No. 6 Houston and No. 13 Arizona running long, the Auburn vs. Alabama game will now tip off at 4:15 p.m. ET, moved back 15 minutes from its original start time.
Derrion Reid injury update
Alabama forward Derrion Reid is expected to play today against Auburn, according to multiple reports, including from ESPN and the Field of 68, the latter of which cited Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats specifically for the information.
Reid has been an important piece for Alabama this season, averaging 7.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game off the bench. He had missed the Crimson Tide's win at Texas on Tuesday while dealing with a leg injury.
Chad Baker-Mazara injury update
Chad Baker-Mazara, Auburn's No. 2 scorer behind Johni Broome, is dressed for the game and taking part in warmups. He was originally listed as probable on the SEC athlete availability report, which has since been changed to a game-time decision.
Baker-Mazara had been dealing with an upper body injury that was aggravated during the Tigers' practice on Friday.
Alabama student section filled up
If there weren't enough signs already that this is a huge game, here's another: Alabama's student section at Coleman Coliseum was already close to full more than an hour before tip-off.
Who says football schools don't appreciate good basketball?
What channel is Auburn basketball vs Alabama on today?
- TV channel: ESPN
- Streaming: ESPN+ | Fubo (free trial)
Alabama and Auburn's game will air on ESPN. Dan Shulman (play-by-play) and Jay Bilas (analyst) will be on the call courtside while Jess Sims will serve as the sideline reporter.
Streaming options for the game include ESPN+, ESPN's subscription streaming service, and Fubo, the latter of which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Auburn vs Alabama time today
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 15
- Time: 4 p.m. ET
- Location: Coleman Coliseum (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
Alabama and Auburn are scheduled to tip off at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 15 from Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa.
Auburn basketball vs Alabama history
- Series record: Alabama leads 102-68
- Alabama's last win: January 2024 (79-75)
- Auburn's last win: February 2024 (99-81)
Alabama has a sizable lead in the all-time series and has won three of the past four meetings.
Auburn vs Alabama predictions
This section will be updated
Auburn vs Alabama betting odds
Odds from BetMGM as of Saturday, Feb. 15
- Spread: Alabama (-1.5)
- Over/under: 172.5 points
- Moneyline: Alabama, -125 | Auburn, +105
Auburn vs Alabama injury updates
Based on the SEC availability report.
Alabama
- F Derrion Reid: Game-time decision (leg)
- G Latrell Wrightsell Jr.: Out (ruptured Achilles)
- G Houston Mallette: Out (knee)
Auburn
- G/F Chad Baker-Mazara: Game-time decision (upper body)
Alabama basketball schedule 2024-25
Here's a look at Alabama's past five results. To view the Tide's full 2024-25 schedule, click here.
- Saturday, Jan. 25: Alabama 80, LSU 73
- Wednesday, Jan. 29: Alabama 88, Mississippi State 84
- Saturday, Feb. 1: Alabama 90, Georgia 69
- Saturday, Feb. 8: Alabama 85, Arkansas 81
- Tuesday, Feb. 11: Alabama 103, Texas 80
Auburn basketball schedule 2024-25
Here's a look at Auburn's past five results. To view the Tigers' full 2024-25 schedule, click here.
- Wednesday, Jan. 29: Auburn 87, LSU 74
- Saturday, Feb. 1: Auburn 92, No. 23 Ole Miss 82
- Tuesday, Feb. 4: Auburn 98, Oklahoma 70
- Saturday, Feb. 8: No. 6 Florida 90, Auburn 81
- Tuesday, Feb. 11: Auburn 80, Vanderbilt 68
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