Alabama basketball's Twitter account adds more fire to Auburn rivalry

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama basketball fans had a bit of fun in the closing minutes of Wednesday night’s 83-64 victory over No. 4 Auburn. They waved goodbye and mockingly chanted “15-0” to their cross-state neighbors who made way for the exits early to get a jump start on their sobering trip down Highway 82 and across Interstate 65 back to the Plains.

Crimson Tide fans weren’t the only ones taking the opportunity to poke fun at their in-state rivals, either. Alabama basketball’s official Twitter account was feeling itself throughout the blowout, delivering digs well after the final buzzer.

The antics started late in the second half when Alabama had all but ensured the upset victory. With the Crimson Tide leading 70-56 with 4:14 remaining, the Alabama basketball account posted a picture of head coach Nate Oats looking on alongside guards Kira Lewis Jr and Jaden Shackelford with a caption that read “Auburn fans looking at the score like…”

The tweet served as a nod to Auburn forward Anfernee McLemore’s comments after the senior stated last October that Coleman Coliseum was his favorite SEC gym to play in because “I like the look of disappointment on their faces when we win.”

Following the game, Oats revealed that he used the quote as bulletin-board material, making sure it was the last thing his team saw before stepping out on the court Wednesday night.

“We took it as motivation and just started working hard,” Alabama forward Herbert Jones said following the game.

McLemore’s remark was the subject of a few tweets from Alabama basketball’s account on the night. With Alabama up 78-64 and 1:13 remaining, the account posted a picture of an exuberant Galin Smith with the caption “Not in our house” followed by a winking emoji.

The tweet which garnered the most attention came after the final buzzer, as Alabama basketball posted a graphic with the final score and a caption that read “You should've seen the looks on our fans faces... WHEN WE WON. Undefeated no more,” with a waving emoji.

Friday, Oats said he deleted all the social media apps from his phone earlier this month before reinstalling Twitter to give his thanks to the student section following Wednesday's game.

"I'm trying to stay off it myself," Oats said with a smile. "I did see one. What did he say, the look on the students' faces after the game?... I don't even know anything else other than that one you're talking about."

The fun didn’t stop Wednesday night either. Thursday, the Alabama account quote tweeted the San Diego State basketball account, congratulating the Aztecs on being the lone remaining undefeated team in the nation. The final blow — for now at least — came when Alabama posted a clip of Lewis’ ankle-breaking move on Isaac Okoro which sent the Auburn forward stumbling to the ground.

Lewis said he was shown the play by his teammates and was also sent a clip of it from Alabama basketball sports information director Aaron Jordan. The Crimson Tide point guard called Okoro a "great defender" and said "he didn't think too much of it."

"It was a highlight play," Lewis said. "You know, in sports highlights happen. You just acknowledge them and keep moving forward."

When asked if the added attention of the play might spice up the rivalry, Lewis responded that "it might," while reaffirming that there was no beef between him and Okoro.

"When we play them again I'm pretty sure we're not going to be thinking about him falling at the free-throw line and me laying the ball in," he said. "We're going to think about winning the next game."

Aside from in-state pride, Wednesday night’s victory marked Alabama’s first win over a team ranked in the top four of the Associated Press poll since it defeated then No. 1 Stanford in the 2004 NCAA Tournament on March 20, 2004. The Crimson Tide will have the opportunity to bask in the glory of its big win Wednesday night for the next few weeks until it travels to Auburn on Feb. 12 for the second leg of the regular-season series.

Best believe the Tigers will now have a bit of bulletin board material of their own built up for that matchup.

"Look, the game is played on the floor," Oats said. "I'm not one to try to give them too much to incite them, but I can guarantee you Auburn will be ready to play when we come play them at their place no matter what our social media account said."

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