Alabama passed its two trap game tests with a win over Arkansas on Saturday and again with a 103-80 blowout victory over Texas on Tuesday. The matchup against the Razorbacks was tricker after Arkansas erased an 18-point deficit and cut the Tide’s lead to three with three minutes left.
Conversely, Alabama led wire-to-wire against the Longhorns to go 2-0 on its extended road trip. The Tide didn’t return to Tuscaloosa after the Arkansas game but now heads back with a pair of road wins in its pocket and can finally give its full attention to a monster game against archrival Auburn. The Tigers navigated their own trap game Tuesday, defeating Vanderbilt and keeping all the buzz on a clash between the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the AP Poll.
“We’ll see Saturday who’s the best team in the country I guess,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said after the Texas game. “I do think we’ve got a mature group. They know they’ve prepared. We kinda get into it. The hay is in the barn if you will going into one of these games.”
Oats praised Alabama’s intensity and how it stuck to the game plan and made adjustments against Texas. Despite a few too many turnovers and offensive rebounds for Oats’ liking, Alabama’s offended shined all game. The Tide shot 61.8% from the field and hit 17 3-point attempts. Individual players stepped up across the board, namely sophomore forward Jarin Stevenson and freshman Labaron Philon off the bench.
Tuesday night’s win also showcased Alabama’s swagger in road games, which has helped the Tide build a 10-1 mark to start SEC play. Alabama beat ranked Texas A&M, Kentucky and Mississippi State teams away from home. Its latest two road victories not only saw the Tide navigate hostile environments but also stay mentally locked in and avoid a pair of major trap games with the Auburn matchup looming.
“To get two road wins on this road trip is big for us,” Oats said. “It gives us some confidence. We’ve played well on the road though. This is I think our eighth game in a row we’ve scored 85 [or more points] on the road. We’ve got a veteran group. They tend to like the road for whatever reason. They like seeing the stands empty early when it can and they seem to embrace that villain role if you will, going in and knocking some teams off on the road.”
You don’t have to look far to see how difficult it is to win on the road in SEC play. No. 5 Tennessee failed to take care of business in Rupp Arena — a place Alabama has pulled off a win — falling to the Wildcats on Tuesday. Auburn won by just three points at South Carolina in January. The Gamecocks are still yet to win a game in SEC play. It looked like most of Bud Walton Arena had emptied when Alabama got up big against Arkansas, but the roar was just as loud when the Razorbacks came storming back as it was at tipoff.
There was plenty of talk about Alabama being where its feet are over the past week. All of that outside noise might rattle a weaker-willed team in the Tide's position. But a veteran group of Alabama players stayed the course. Now, they can put those games in the rearview and focus on the latest and biggest edition to its longstanding and bitter in-state rivalry. Saturday’s game will be the first time in the history of the Southeastern Conference that the No. 1 and No. 2 teams have played one another. The winner will take sole possession of first place in a league that has the chance to break the record for the most teams in the NCAA Tournament.
Alabama’s marquee performances away from Tuscaloosa have prepared Oats' side for a game of that magnitude. Should Alabama rise to the occasion Saturday, it will put itself in the driver's seat for the SEC regular season title and start its home-stretch run of seven ranked games with a bang.
The Tide navigated the trap games. Now, the road villains return to Tuscaloosa to try and be heroes and keep that same energy on their home court against another team that has so far been undeterred by an away environment in SEC play.
“Do we think we’re the best team in the country?” Oats again questioned. “I think we got a chance to be. But Auburn’s the best team in the country right now and we gotta knock them out on Saturday if we want to claim to be the best team in the country.”
