For University of Alabama basketball coach Avery Johnson, rivalries are better the second time around.
That's Johnson's feeling as the Crimson Tide heads into Saturday afternoon's sold-out game at Auburn.
"I'm a lot more excited about this game than I was last year last year because I understand the rivalry better," Johnson said at his Friday press conference. "That empty feeling in my stomach after we lost last year (the two teams split the 2016 games with each team winning on its home floor) taught me a lot.
"We compete in a lot of ways, on the court and in recruiting," Johnson said. "It's been pretty fun to be a part of the rivalry going around the state because you never know what you're going to get from their side. I've been in situations where (Auburn) people refer back to my NBA career. They thought a lot of me as an NBA player. They don't think much of me as the Alabama coach but they still want to take a picture with me. It's intense."
Despite a slight tone of ambivalence, Johnson said he thought the overall health of basketball in Alabama was connected with success at both of the schools.
"It's important that our basketball programs get to an elite level. I've shared this with Bruce (Pearl, the Auburn coach.) When we are both in the NCAA Tournament, that will improve the rivalry for everybody. When we're both under .500, it doesn't mean as much as far as perception goes."
In this year's game, Alabama is off to a faster SEC start, but the Tigers are the more fast-paced offensive team. That's likely to be abetted by the usual raucous crowd at the Auburn Arena.
"All of our games are sold out, but there's a little extra for this one," Pearl said on a Friday interview on Birmingham's WJOX Radio. "This one is a hard ticket to find. Hopefully, the fans will inspire our team to play their very best.
"(Alabama) might be the the best defensive rebounding team in the SEC," Pearl added. "They are big and aggressive. Avery has done a fine job of putting (his team) together. They're a better team than they were last year. You look at a player like Shannon Hale. He's playing much less than he did last year, and he is a good player. They've got two post men. They're deeper than they were. We're going to have to play better than we have in our SEC games so far to get that win."
Auburn would get a boost if 6-foot-7 forward Danjel Purifoy - once a star player at Bibb County High School - can return to the lineup after missing two games with an ankle injury.
"There's a chance (Purifoy) could play," Pearl said. "We are about to practice and he is going to try and go today. It would be really important for us to have him because he is a big part of how we play offensively."
Auburn added another key player when 6-10 Austin Wiley, one of the nation's top 25 prep recruits, enrolled at midterm.
"(Wiley) has been significant for us," Pearl said. "He is still learning but he is a joy to coach. He lets us do things that we haven't been able to do. For instance, he can guard a center one-on-one so we don't have to double down on the post all the time. He gives us a scorer inside. And he is a great teammate."
The Tigers' top scorer is also a freshman. Mustapha Heron, a 6-5, 240-pound swing player, is averaging 15.7 points per game for AU.
Reach Cecil Hurt at cecil@tidesports.com or 205-722-0225.
