The Iron Bowl on the Hardwood is complete after Alabama escaped Auburn Arena with a 94-90 victory in a thrilling game.
The Tide basketball team has been trending upwards under head coach Nate Oats, and Saturday was a big step towards getting where they want to be. Auburn has been up in recent years, but this season has started off slow for the Tigers.
That all changed when freshman point guard Sharife Cooper took the floor for the first time this season after finally being cleared eligible by the NCAA late Friday. Cooper was electrifying on the court, but, more than anything, opened up the floor for other players on his team.
Even with Cooper scoring 26 points and adding nine assists, Bama was able to pull out a win in Auburn Arena for the first time in six meetings.
Tide freshman Joshua Primo looked like a seasoned veteran in Saturday’s win, scoring a team-high 22 points. He started off the game 4-6 from beyond the arc to give the guys in crimson an early lead.
Alongside freshman Primo were the three starting seniors Jordan Bruner, Jaden Shackelford and Herb Jones. Those three seniors accounted for over half of Alabama’s points, and, more importantly, controlled the game. They slowed the game down and were the key ingredient to a win in a close ending.
On the flip side, Auburn didn’t have a single senior on the court all game long, which can hurt a young team in a close game.
The most veteran player for Auburn was junior Jamal Johnson, a transfer from Memphis, who had 10 points and shot 50% from downtown.
John Petty and Herb Jones for the Tide are the names fans hear the most in leading the team to victory, but Petty was not able to get things going until late. Yet, his leadership was evident all game long and is arguably the reason for the Tide’s success Saturday.
Alabama is now 4-0 in the SEC and will travel to Rupp Arena to face off against another SEC power, Kentucky. Although the Wildcats have looked unrecognizable so far this season, they are still loaded with talent, and Alabama will have its hands full.
Auburn falls to 0-4 in the conference with this loss and will travel to Athens to face off against the Georgia Bulldogs on Wednesday to try to break their losing streak.
Hayden Crigler is a contributing college football writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him through email: hayden@new-yhn.local or on Twitter: @hayden_crigler.
