Alabama was looking to sweep archrival Auburn on the Plains but came up short Tuesday night. The Tigers used a 19-4 run to end the first half and never looked back cruising to an 18-point win. Neville Arena may be the toughest arena for a road team to get a win in the SEC, and that was evident Tuesday night. The atmosphere was raucous and Auburn fed off that energy from the get-go. The Tigers dominated in the paint and on the glass, getting huge games from Johni Broome and Jaylin Williams.
Alabama was led by Mark Sears with 25 points, but nothing came easy for him or the Tide. They never seemed in rhythm shooting only 37% from the field and it got away from them early. Tuesday night's loss seemed very similar to the one in Knoxville. The Tigers closed out the first half strong and the Tide weren't able to cut into the lead in the second half. Even with the loss Alabama remains in first place in the SEC, but now there is a log jam at the top as they are joined by Auburn and South Carolina at 8-2 in conference play. Tennessee is right behind them as well sitting at 7-2 after their win over LSU Tuesday night.
The Tide came into this game red hot having won 10 of 11, and will look to get back to their winning ways as they go for the season sweep over LSU Saturday in Baton Rouge. After that, the schedule does no favors for the Tide as they have games against Texas A&M, Florida, Kentucky, and Ole Miss to close out February. Alabama responded well from their last loss and I am confident Coach Oats will use the week off after the LSU game to get them ready for the tough run.