Behind Enemy Lines: Auburn-Alabama basketball preview with Roll Tide Wire
Auburn basketball’s 11-game win streak will be put to the test this week as they hit the road twice in hopes of earning two quad-1 wins.
The first stop on the road trip will be Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa to battle with rival Alabama on Wednesday evening. Auburn is looking to snap a two-game losing skid to the Crimson Tide and will try to win its second game in Tuscaloosa over the last four tries.
Auburn is the SEC’s lone unbeaten team and has won all 16 games by double-figures. Alabama, however, leads Auburn in several statistical categories such as points per game, rebounds, and three-pointers made. The Crimson Tide also has more quad-1 victories than Auburn, which will provide Auburn with a solid test.
Can Auburn avoid the upset in Tuscaloosa? Ahead of Wednesday’s game, we spoke with Stacey Blackwood of Roll Tide Wire to get his thoughts on Alabama’s performance this season.
What has been the Tide’s Achilles heel this season? Which bench players should Auburn fans watch for? How great is the rivalry between Bruce Pearl and Nate Oats? Blackwood answers those questions in this edition of “Behind Enemy Lines.”
Let's get physical
Alabama has lost six games this season, all to quality opponents. Is there a common factor that has led to each loss?
Alabama’s lack of a physical presence, especially in the post is the overwhelming weakness of this team. If you look at all six of their losses, it has been because of that.
You can count on Sears
Alabama has four players that average double-digit scoring outputs each game. Which player has the best chance of taking control on Wednesday?
Mark Sears is the easy answer. Sears does a great job of scoring without having to be ball-dominant.
Battle of the benches
Auburn is known for having solid play off of their bench. How much of a contribution can we expect to see out of Alabama’s bench?
Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Sam Walter, and Mouhamed Dioubate have all been tremendous off the bench this season for the Tide with Wrightsell and Walters providing a spark offensively, and Dioubate on the defensive end.
Pearl and Oats
Wednesday provides us with another Pearl vs. Oats battle. In your opinion, is Auburn-Alabama the best rivalry in the SEC currently due to the success of each coach?
I believe so. The amount of growth within each fanbase is directly tied to the success of each program and it also helps that both Pearl and Oats are extremely competitive coaches.
Knock down drag out
Auburn has won 11 straight games but has lost three of the last four at Coleman Coliseum. What will need to go right for Alabama to end Auburn’s streak?
It will be tough for Alabama to match what Auburn has from a physicality standpoint but Alabama is capable. Alabama will need to play both physically and fast in order to take down Auburn.
Tide ends the streak?
What is your final score prediction?
This is a tough one. I think Auburn is the better team overall and probably should win. But it is hard to win all your games in a loaded SEC, especially tough road games. Alabama wins a close one in Coleman Coliseum, 82-79.
