As the No. 1 Auburn Tigers (27-3, 15-2) and No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide (23-7, 12-5) get ready to face each other today, Nate Oats is downplaying the significance of the heated rivalry.
With the Tigers almost certainly locked into a one seed in the NCAA Tournament and the Crimson Tide hovering at the two line, Oats told the media that pride is mostly on the line.
Nate Oats Pumps the Brakes on Game‘s Hype
Auburn defeated Alabama 94-85 on Feb. 15 on the back of 19 points and 14 rebounds from National Player of the Year contender Johni Broome in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown. Five other Tigers scored in the double-digits, and the team never trailed en route to the flawless victory.
Now, with the SEC Tournament upcoming and the NCAA Tournament shortly after, both teams have their eyes set on something bigger.
Full quote from Oats who was asked about playing like there’s nothing to lose:
“There’s really nothing other than either a 3 or a 4 seed and whatever the NCAA Tournament committee wants to decide on our resume. Obviously a win here would help against the No. 1 team in the…
— Nick Kelly (@_NickKelly) March 7, 2025
“There’s really nothing other than either a 3 or a 4 seed and whatever the NCAA Tournament committee wants to decide on our resume,” Oats told the media Friday. “Obviously a win here would help against the No. 1 team in the country. I still think we’ve got a pretty good resume looking at where our seeding will be for the NCAA Tournament.
“There’s not a whole lot riding on this game other than some pride, which Alabama-Auburn rivalry, there’s obviously some pride in this game. Sure both teams may be in different circumstances and think about resting their guys. But unless somebody is really banged up bad, our guys are planning on playing in this game.
“Derrion (Reid) would be the only one who would be out. He’s still getting back into some basketball workouts. Hopefully he’ll start live practices and we’ll see where that takes us. We could certainly use him for the SEC Tournament.”
KEEP READING: Alabama vs. Auburn Prediction: In-State Rivals Meet for a Second Time With the Crimson Tide Seeking Revenge Over the Tigers
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi currently has the Tigers as the “runaway” No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed despite Tuesday’s loss to Texas A&M. Lunardi has Alabama slated as a two-seed in No. 1 seed Duke’s East Regional.
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