AUBURN, Ala. – As the promise of spring break beckoned many of their classmates to the beach or the mountains, hundreds of Auburn University students camped outside Neville Arena, a three-night commitment for those closest to the venue, who spent Friday afternoon between classes playing cards and reading in hammocks.
The mission of their expedition? To pack The Jungle Saturday when No. 1 Auburn welcomes No. 7 Alabama in the season’s final home game.
“The best home-court advantage in all of college basketball,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “It is a most intimidating place to play. It is as loud and as hot as it gets anywhere.”
The top-ranked Tigers seek to sweep their in-state rivals after defeating Alabama 94-85 three weeks ago at Coleman Coliseum in the SEC’s first No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup.
“To do that, we’re going to have to play great basketball,” Pearl said. “We played one of our best games in Tuscaloosa.”
For only the third time this season, Auburn looks to rebound after a loss following Tuesday’s 83-72 defeat at No. 22 Texas A&M.
“One of the better offensive rebounding teams in the country,” Pearl said of Alabama. “That was a factor, particularly in our losses to Texas A&M and Florida. We’ll have to do a great job in that area. You’ve got to defend the 3-point line, you’ve got to get back in transition, you’ve got to keep them off the offensive glass. Easier said than done.”
Before the game Auburn will honor six senior student-athletes and three managers.
“They’ve experienced a period of success that is historical,” Pearl said. “They have accomplished a lot individually and as a team. It’s an opportunity for us to say thank you.”
Last Saturday, Auburn clinched its third SEC regular season championship in eight years, locking up the top seed in next week’s conference tournament in Nashville, Tennessee.
“It shows how locked in this team has been,” senior Johni Broome said. “It shows why we’re the best team in the country, to have the best record and be the outright champ for the best league in the history of the SEC. It shows how good this team has been and how consistent we’ve been. It’s shown the growth of this team.”
With an opportunity to set program records for SEC and regular-season victories, No. 1 Auburn (27-3, 15-2) hosts No. 7 Alabama (23-7, 12-5) Saturday at 1:30 p.m. CT on ESPN. Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey will provide play-by-play and analysis for listeners on the Auburn Sports Network.
“We have to play brilliantly tomorrow,” Pearl said. “We have to shoot it, we have to keep them off the 3-point line, we’ve got play back in transition. One of our common denominators also has to be if we can defend and rebound against the best teams in the country. It’s really hard to do it as consistently as we’ve done it. That’s why our Quad-1 record is 16-3. Those are not easy games to win.”
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer