ESPN predicts the winner of Saturday’s massive No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 2 Auburn showdown

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The most-anticipated Iron Bowl of Basketball showdown to date between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers is set to get underway in just under 48 hours at Coleman Coliseum.

The two teams are ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in this week’s USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 Poll. Alabama is No. 1 in the Coaches Poll, while Auburn retained the top spot in the AP poll despite a 90-81 loss to the Florida Gators at Neville Arena last Saturday.

Alabama (21-3 overall, 10-1 SEC) won its seventh straight game Tuesday with a 103-80 blowout win over the Texas Longhorns at Moody Center in Austin. The Crimson Tide lit up the scoreboard with 17 made 3-pointers, the most in an SEC game this season. Jarin Stevenson had a career-high 22 points to lead Alabama in scoring, one of five players to finish in double figures.

Mark Sears and Aden Holloway added 18 points apiece, Labaron Philon had 15, and Mouhamed Dioubate finished the night with 13 points on 3-of-3 shooting from behind the arc.

Auburn (22-2, 10-1) rebounded from its loss to Florida with an impressive 80-68 win over Vanderbilt Tuesday night in Nashville. Denver Jones led the Tigers with 21 points, Chaney Johnson had 20, and star forward Johni Broome added 17.

Ahead of the first No. 1 vs. 2 meeting in SEC basketball history, ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gave its odds for Saturday’s Alabama-Auburn game. ESPN analytics currently gives Auburn a 52.4 percent chance to win compared to Alabama’s 47.6.

ESPN’s model is based on its Men’s College Basketball Power Index ratings, which they define as a “measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward. BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is.”

Auburn is No. 3 in ESPN’s BPI (23.0) while Alabama is No. 5 (19.4). The Tigers are No. 1 in both KenPom and NET rankings, with the Crimson Tide at No. 6.

Tipoff for Alabama-Auburn is set for 3 p.m. CT Saturday. The game will be televised on ESPN. The Crimson Tide are 4-1 vs. Auburn at…

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Author : Roll Tide Wire

Publish date : 2025-02-13 21:24:00

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