By Brant Daughtry
That was an impressive win in Nashville. Yes, Vanderbilt is far from the best team in the conference. But in this league, anyone can beat anyone, especially on their home floor. Vandy has wins over some really good teams, including Tennessee. Getting out with a win is a positive, regardless of who it’s against.
It was a great get-back game for Denver Jones. Dude struggled badly against Florida, so to see him shoot that well in what was probably his best game offensively at Auburn was good to see. he struggled with turnovers early, but he put a stop to it and recovered. Auburn has a few guys who can shoot like that, and to have one come up when Auburn needed it most went a long way in getting Auburn a win.
It was also nice to see Chaney Johnson realize that he couldn’t be stopped. Another Tiger with 20+, Chaney went on a 9-0 run by himself to get Auburn back on track when Vanderbilt took their short-lived lead. He wasn’t just scoring, he sparked the entire team and refocused them when things were about to get bad. People talk about “clutch” scoring, that’s a textbook example.
If there’s a criticism, it’s Auburn’s defense. Once again, they let a team come back after getting a pretty big lead and looked not great for the middle 20 minutes of this game. Vandy, and Florida before them, were able to get open looks from three-point range and got Auburn off its rhythm. If the defense takes possessions off again, Saturday will be a nightmare.
Alabama is coached by Nate Oats, who in his five years at Alabama has turned them into a national powerhouse, much like Bruce Pearl at Auburn. His style is almost the exact opposite of Pearl’s, though it’s worked really well for him. Alabama is as offense-first as you can get, with a collection of players who may give up some open looks, but excel at putting the ball in the hoop. They shoot it extremely well from three, and while they may give up 90, they’ll expect to put up 100.
This year is the ultimate version of that. They lead the nation in points per game with 90.5, and counter with a defense that ranks 326th at 78.5 PPG for opponents. That lack of balance works for them though. They’re 21-3 this season and tied with Auburn for the top spot in the conference at 10-1. They’re number 2 in the AP poll just behind Auburn, and 6th in the NET. They’re every bit the power that their rating defines them as.
Interestingly about Alabama, they turn the ball over a lot and don’t generate a ton of turnovers. They’re not extremely efficient, but they move so quickly. They’re all about volume, getting shots up to get as many to go in as possible. They want to have as many possessions as possible and they move quickly on offense to make that happen. Sometimes that results in turnovers, but it often leads to quick buckets and hundreds of points.
Players to Watch For:
Guard Mark Sears, #0- Duh. Sears is the engine that makes this offense go. He’s a lethal shooter from anywhere on the court and isn’t scared to drive in among bigger guys. He’s a defensive liability sometimes, but as stated earlier, Alabama is all about scoring points, and Sears can do that with the best of them. Any open look is a threat to fall for him, and he works to get a ton of them.
Center Grant Nelson, #4- Nelson is the only real threat down low for Alabama, and he’s not going to do all his work down low. He’s tall and long, and skilled at getting his shot off. He’s averaging about 13 points per game, and is the team’s leading rebounder at 8.1 per. Johni Broome is, on the whole, a better player, but with Broome on a still-hurt ankle, when he’s also had trouble finishing lately, could make for a very long night down low.
A few things I think fans need to be aware of. For one, don’t be shocked if there’s a free throw disparity. Home teams often get the benefit of the whistle, and Alabama shoots a ton of free throws by design, while Auburn typically doesn’t. This game is going to get physical and emotional fast, and the refs will respond somehow. Don’t be shocked if the whistle gets tight.
For another, there’s the storyline of Aden Holloway in this game. Speaking purely on what he’s done, yes, he’s had a much better year at Alabama than he did at Auburn. Even though he’s coming off the bench, he’s still a really solid scorer for Alabama, and is shooting .500 from deep in SEC play. This kid is going to score a little, and that’s going to make this very emotional for all involved.
Lastly, it’s not a stretch to call this the biggest regular season basketball game in the history of either of these schools. It’s probably the biggest conference game the SEC has ever had in the regular season. Number 1 vs. Number 2 doesn’t happen too often. Depending on how your mileage varies with football, it could be the biggest game in the history of these two schools, regardless of sport. Soak it in, enjoy the moment, and cheer hard.
And then remember Auburn gets a return trip in three weeks.
