There is no rivalry in all the land that compares to Alabama vs. Auburn. Whether it is on the gridiron, a basketball court, or a gymnastics mat, the disdain for one another is very real.
Everyone knows the storied history of the Iron Bowl and how great the two programs are. In fact, either Alabama or Auburn has played for the National Championship in 11 of the past 14 seasons. This is why, in my opinion, it is the deepest and also most impactful rivalry in college football.
However, it has really seeped into the basketball world over the past few seasons. Bruce Pearl has been an outstanding hire for the Tigers, but so has Nate Oats with the Tide and both coaches have their programs at the peak of their powers. The two schools have combined to win the last three regular season titles in the SEC and three of the last four SEC tournaments.
The College Basketball Report ranked Alabama vs. Auburn as the No. 9 rivalry in all of college basketball. I think in the coming years, this rivalry will climb higher on this list, but right now there are some really great rivalries in college hoops such as Duke vs. UNC and Kentucky vs. Louisville to name a few.
Auburn reached the Final Four in 2018 and the Elite Eight in 2019. While the Tide haven’t had that kind of post season success yet, they were the No. 1 overall seed in the 2023 tournament and are trending in all of the right directions.
Ranking the 25 best rivalries in college basketball🏀 pic.twitter.com/f1nRspDwq3
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) April 27, 2023
Roll Tide Wire will continue to monitor this rivalry in the coming years.
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