Alabama basketball vs. Auburn: Score prediction, scouting report
Alabama basketball is aiming to score a victory over Auburn, a game that could go a long way in boosting the Crimson Tide's resumé for the postseason.
The Tigers have shown to be one of the nation's best teams so far this season, having lost two games. After a season-opening loss to Baylor, Auburn has lost one other game: 69-64 to Appalachian State on the road on Dec. 3.
Since then, the Tigers have won 11 consecutive games, including going 5-0 in SEC play with wins over Arkansas, Texas A&M, LSU, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss.
Alabama, meanwhile, just suffered its first loss in conference play with a 20-point loss on the road to Tennessee. The Crimson Tide will look to get back on track with a return to Coleman Coliseum where it hasn't lost an SEC game since 2022.
Ahead of the matchup on Wednesday (6:30 p.m., ESPN) at Coleman Coliseum, here's a look at the Tigers (16-2, 5-0 SEC) and how they compare to Alabama (12-6, 4-1).
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Projected starting lineup for Auburn
Guard Aden Holloway (freshman): 6-foot-1, 178 pounds. Averages: 10 points, 1.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.1 blocks, 0.9 turnovers.
Guard Denver Jones (junior): 6-foot-4, 205 pounds. Averages: 6.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.1 blocks, 0.8 turnovers.
Forward Chris Moore (senior): 6-foot-6, 220 pounds. Averages: 2.8 points, 1.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.4 blocks, 0.7 turnovers.
Forward Jaylin Williams (senior): 6-foot-8, 245 pounds. Averages: 12.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.6 blocks, 1.1 turnovers.
Center Johni Broome (junior): 6-foot-10, 240 pounds. Averages: 15.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.9 blocks, 1.7 turnovers.
Broome is second in the SEC in rebounds and blocks per game.
Auburn's rotation
The Tigers have a deep rotation with 10 players seeing 15 or more minutes per game this season. Outside of the starting five, Auburn rotates quickly and often. Chad Baker-Mazara has averaged 20.4 minutes, Tre Donaldson has averaged 18.4 minutes, and KD Johnson has averaged 17.5 minutes. Others such as Chaney Johnson and Dylan Cardwell will also likely see a good amount of time.
How Auburn stacks up with Alabama in scoring, defense and tempo
KenPom tracks adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, which are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. Auburn has a top 10 defense and offense in both metrics. That's rare and makes it easy to see why the Tigers have had the success they've had.
Alabama will look to play faster than Auburn, but not by much. KenPom measures the adjusted tempo statistic based on the number of possessions per 40 minutes.
Adjusted offensive efficiency:
Auburn: 121.3 (9th nationally)
Alabama: 126.1 (1st)
Adjusted defensive efficiency:
Auburn: 94.4 (6th nationally)
Alabama: 101.4 (64th)
Tempo
Auburn: 70.2 (76th nationally)
Alabama: 72.1 (27th)
Score prediction
Auburn 89, Alabama 84: The Tigers haven't lost a game in almost two months. Meanwhile, Alabama still has some clear issues that have popped up at times in big games. The fact this game is at Coleman Coliseum helps the Crimson Tide's case, but the Tigers have shown to be one of the better teams in the country. Alabama is not at that level right now.
Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men's basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball, Auburn: Score prediction, scouting report
