After winning 10 of their last 11 games, the Alabama Crimson Tide suffered just their second SEC loss of the season as they fell on the road to in-state rivals the No. 12 Auburn Tigers 99-81. Despite the loss, Alabama is still tied for the lead in the SEC with Auburn and South Carolina, and Tennessee sitting just a half-game back.
Alabama was just really sloppy all evening long, especially in the first half as they surrendered 55 points to an Auburn team that played with a chip on their shoulder. The Crimson Tide knocked off Auburn in Coleman back in January, and this was the Tigers Super Bowl. The Crimson Tide also suffered 15 turnovers to Auburn’s 5. Johni Broome and Jaylin Williams were headaches all evening long as they combined for 50 of Auburn’s 99 total points. If there is any silver lining, it is that Grant Nelson took another small step forward today with 16 points, six rebounds and two assists before fouling out.
Being16-6 on the year with a share of the lead in the conference is something worth feeling good about, but when the two conference losses are against Alabama’s biggest rivals in Auburn and Tennessee it will leave a sour taste in the Tide’s mouth. With the two sides splitting the regular season series, I wouldn’t be too shocked to see the two sides competing again in the SEC tournament.
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