In one of the biggest college basketball games of the year, the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide and the No. 1 Auburn Tigers will meet with first place in the SEC on the line.
But is this matchup also a meeting of two teams that will dominate the future of the sport? Let’s take a look at how these two teams rose to basketball dominance and what their futures look like.
Recent Dominance From Auburn and Alabama
Starting with Alabama, Nate Oats’s team has been one of the country’s best for nearly the last half-decade. The Tide have won 25-plus games in three of the last four seasons and are in a great position to win well over 25 games this season.
They have also been extremely dominant in the SEC, winning 13 or more conference games in three of the last four years. With a current 10-1 SEC record, the Tide has a great chance to keep the trend going this season.
On the Auburn side of things, Bruce Pearl’s team has won 27-plus games in two of the last three years and is on track to do it again, with 22 wins already on the year.
They are also on their way to winning 13 or more conference games for the third time in four years. Like the Tide, they are a national title contender as the college basketball season creeps through the middle of February.
Both Teams Have Bright Futures
Seeing as these teams have been in a good place ever since the teams’ respective head coaches took over their positions, it would be wise to think the future of both is bright.
While both teams are mostly upperclassmen, both coaches have demonstrated their ability to recruit and maintain a steady culture.
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If both teams continue to play their cards right, there is no reason not to expect them to stay in contention in the conference and in the national conversation for years to come.
That is why this matchup between both teams on Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa is likely to be epic in proportion.
The winner will take over first place in the powerful SEC and likely vault themselves to the forefront of the national title conversation for the foreseeable future.
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