A row of tents have been pitched outside Coleman Coliseum since Thursday night. Fans are setting up shop early to get the best seat in the house for No. 2 Alabama’s matchup against No. 1 Auburn. Not only is this the highest both teams have been ranked for the rivalry matchup, but it’s also the first time in the history of the Southeastern Conference two teams have faced off as the top two teams in the country.

“When I grew up Krzyzewskiville was a big thing,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said Friday, referencing students at Duke who would camp out to receive tickets to watch the Blue Devils play under legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski. “I thought it was super cool. I’m a kid super into sports they show that. I still remember those Duke-Carolina games. They showed it – like how cool was that? So, I don’t know that we’re quite to the level of Krzyzewskiville out here yet but it's pretty cool that people are willing to pitch a tent, camp out overnight to make sure they’ve got the best seats in the house for College GameDay and the game that’s coming up.

“My message to them is ‘Thank you for being that great of fans.’ It helps the program. It helps that we’ve got support. And then we need them to be super loud, super intelligent. We need them cheering, supporting what we need to do to win the game. We can leave the nasty anti-Auburn stuff alone. That’s not what we need. We need cheering for big defensive stops, blue-collar plays, winning basketball plays. That’s what we need cheering for.”

It's unlikely Oats' calls for anti-Auburn cheers will be fully heeded given the nature of the rivalry. But Alabama is well equipped to give its home fans plenty to cheer for. To do so, the Tide has to overcome a team that only two other elite sides — Duke and Florida — have been able to beat thus far.

Oats has maintained plenty of respect for Auburn coach Bruce Pearl. The two have elevated college basketball in the state of Alabama to never-before-seen heights. Oats currently holds a 6-4 advantage over Pearl in their first 10 meetings. The 11th features possibly the deepest and most talented Tigers roster Oats has ever had to game plan for. Led by National Player of the Year candidate Jonhi Broome, the Tigers have six players averaging double figures and rank No. 1 in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency according to KenPom.

“To me, the best thing that makes them go though — most great coaches, can they motivate their team to play hard and do the little stuff, the details and they do,” Oats said of Pearl’s squad. “And their teams play hard. They get on the offensive boards. They’re amped up. They’re ready. They turn people over. So we’ve gotta — I’d say match the intensity – I hope that they’ve got to match our intensity but they do a really good job making sure their guys are motivated and ready to go every game.”

Alabama has all the talent, depth and coaching to match Auburn. In addition to setting the tone on the intensity front, Oats also called for his team to clean up a few concerning trends on the offensive glass and turnover department.

The nation’s No. 1 ranking and a distinctive win in the SEC title race is up for grabs Saturday. Will the dedicated Tide fans who camped out see their team rise to the occasion?

Here’s everything you need to know about Saturday’s game.

Who: No. 2 Alabama (21-3, 10-1 SEC) vs. No. 1 Auburn (22-2, 10-1)

When: 3:00 p.m. CT, Tuesday, Feb. 15

Where: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Watch: ESPN (Play-By-Play: Dan Shulman, Analyst: Jay Bilas, Sideline: Jess Sims)

Listen: Crimson Tide Sports Network | SIRIUS/XM 134/201 (Play-By-Play: Chris Stewart, Analyst: Bryan Passink, Sideline: Roger Hoover)

Mark Sears: 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, graduate

Stats: 17.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 4.9 apg, 40.6% FG, 35.7% 3-pt

Chris Youngblood: 6-foot-4, 177 pounds, freshman

Stats: 9.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.0 apg, 44.4% FG, 36.6% 3-pt

Jarin Stevenson: 6-foot-11, 215 pounds, sophomore

Stats: 5.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.8 apg, 40.8% FG, 27.9% 3-pt

Grant Nelson: 6-foot-11, 230 pounds, graduate

Stats: 12.7 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.7 apg, 54.5% FG, 26.9% 3-pt

Clifford Omoruyi: 6-foot-11, 250 pounds, graduate

Stats: 7.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 0.8 apg, 73.9% FG

Denver Jones: 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, senior

Stats: 10.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.7 apg, 43.8% FG, 43.8% 3-pt

Miles Kelly: 6-foot-6, 190 pounds, senior

Stats: 10.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.9 apg, 42.9% FG, 40.5% 3-pt

Chad Baker-Mazara: 6-foot-7, 180 pounds, senior

Stats: 12.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.6 apg, 46.4% FG, 36.8% 3-pt

Johni Broome: 6-foot-10, 240 pounds, senior

Stats: 18.1 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 3.3 apg, 50.6% FG, 28.6% 3-pt

Dylan Cardwell: 6-foot-11, 255 pounds, graduate student

Stats: 5.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 67.0%

Alabama alum and College GameDay host Rece Davis recalled a few former football players who made the jump from Tuscaloosa to The Plains, including former Tigers running back Corey Grant. But Davis couldn’t think of a more high-profile player who swapped blue and orange for crimson and white than Tide sophomore guard Aden Holloway.

Holloway hasn’t backed down from any test he and Alabama have seen this season. But now he’ll have a different kind of challenge Saturday, facing off against many of his former teammates with eyes from both fanbases watching closely how he responds to playing against his former team now in the colors of its bitter rival.

“I think Bruce has handled that in a very classy fashion with the way he’s talke about it,” Davis said. “I think Aden’s been classy in the way he’s handled it and the fact of the matter is probably from a stylistic standpoint this system fits him really well — not that he couldn’t have been successful at Auburn. He would’ve been. But he made a change and it worked out well for everybody. Auburn seems to be doing fine too.”

The sophomore guard has been a vital cog for Alabama this season. His numbers have jumped massively from his freshman campaign at Auburn where he arrived as the No. 29 recruit in the Class of 2023. Holloway has improved from 7.3 points per game to 11.3 on higher volume. He’s also upped his rebounding numbers by nearly one per game and is dishing out two assists per game for Alabama.

The most impressive part about Holloway's scoring jump is his tremendous shooting efficiency. Holloway is shooting 63.4% on 2-point field goals, which ranks ninth in the SEC. His 42.1% clip from 3 ranks fourth in the conference. Holloway is also averaging just one turnover in 21.7 minutes per game as the X-factor off the Tide’s bench.

Oats didn’t note any different preparation or attitude from Holloway in the buildup to the game. His familiarity with Auburn did likely help Alabama with the scout. Oats also praised Holloway’s growth in his second season at the college level, citing his composure and decision-making as crucial factors that will help Holloway continue to be a difference-maker for the Tide against his former team.

“He obviously is familiar with their system, their team,” Oats said. “He’s had some good games here. He’s a year older here. He’s gotten comfortable in our system. He’s playing well in it. It’ll be a big game for him, but he’s pretty relaxed, doesn't turn the ball over much. I don’t anticipate him doing anything crazy but he’ll be ready to play. He’s been ready to play most of our games all year.”

Alabama had some woeful rim protection last season. The Tide ranked No. 352 in block percentage according to KenPom. Forward Grant Nelson frequently had to be deployed at center during his first season with the Tide, which limited his offensive and rebounding potential as he was constantly hounded by the team's best opposing big.

Alabama remedied its frontcourt issues in a big way this offseason, landing Rutgers transfer Clifford Omoruyi in the transfer portal. Omoruyi led the Big Ten in blocks in 2023-24 and averaged 10.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

Omoruyi hasn’t had the same level of production but is still a surefire starter and has helped Alabama increase its defensive and rebounding profile. While the Tide still doesn't swat shots at an incredible rate, it ranks No. 40 in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 15 in offensive rebounding rate, which has been a big boost for Alabama on that end of the floor.

Omoruyi’s presence opens things up for his teammates in the frontcourt while he occupies an opponent’s best big. Nelson has been the main benefactor of this, as the fifth-year forward has upped his scoring from 11.9 to 12.7 points per game and jumped up from 5.9 to 8.1 rebounds per contest.

If the addition of Omoruyi was done for just one reason, that reason was to try and limit or at least frustrate Broome. What Oats and likely many others might not have foreseen was an already dominant Auburn big blossom into a candidate for the Naismith Player of the Year and likely the SEC’s highest individual honor this season. Broome leads Auburn in points (18.1), rebounds (10.7) and even assists (3.3) which are up by over one per game from a year ago.

“To me he’s become a little bit more of a playmaker with the way he puts the ball on the floor and can do things and create different plays with the ball in his hands,” former Tennessee guard and ESPN GameDay Analyst Andraya Carter said. “I think being physical with him — obviously he loves to get to that right shoulder. Knowing his tendencies, being really physical with him and making him score over a high hand and not get the angles that he wants. Because when he gets the angles that he wants he can not only score, but he can get the angle that he wants and draw the defense in and make a pass.”

Alabama’s new-found presence in the paint and rebounding has come in large part with the addition of Omoruyi. Teams have struggled to defend all of Alabama’s paint options this season and defensively Omoruyi is a clear option that the Tide was sorely missing when it allowed Broome to combine for 50 points and 10 blocks in his two games against Alabama last season.

“We’d like to be able to guard the post one-on-one,” Oats said. “I think we got a guy we brought in thinking he could. We struggled a little bit early in the year with some of it. We’ve hopefully done a better job teaching him some of that. Like you said, Broome’s National Player of the Year candidate, one of the best bigs in college basketball for the last few years running.”

Oats is hoping the addition of Omoruyi will pay off yet again Saturday. If he’s able to guard Broome by himself, Alabama won’t have to put as much emphasis on doubling Broome, which gives him the ability to make plays out of double-teams and find the bevy of talented shooters Auburn has on its roster.

“If we have to double him, he can pass well,” Oats said. “They’ve got shooting all over the floor. They’ve got four guys that are basically 40% or above which is ridiculous in college. And it’s not like they’re just catch-and-shoot guys. These guys can make them off the dribble. So, ideally, you don’t have to do a lot of doubling and ideally Cliff was brought in to enable us to not have to double often. But we’ve got option B, C and D in the back pocket if we need to go to it.”

— Saturday's game will be the sixth AP No.1 vs. No. 2 matchup between teams from the same state

— This will be the first-ever No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup between SEC basketball teams

— Alabama has seven wins over AP Top 25 opponents, tying the program record for most AP wins in a single season set during the 2022-23 campaign

– Alabama's three wins over AP Top-10 teams this year is the most in a season since the 1982-83 season

— Coach Oats has 25 AP Top-25 wins during his tenure at UA, tying the program's record set by Wimp Sanderson

— Since the start of last season Alabama has scored 100 points or more in 17 games, which ranks No. 1 throughout Division I

— Since Oats arrived to Tuscaloosa in 2019-20, Alabama has won a league-best 72 games during SEC play

— Since 2004, Sears is the 23rd player in Division I to have 63 career games scoring 20 points or more and is currently the only active player in Division I

— Alabama now has three 9-1 or better starts in SEC play under Oats. Prior to Oats, the Tide had not started 9-1 or better since the 1986-87 season

— Sears is the only player in the SEC to rank in the top five in both scoring (No. 3, 17.8 ppg) and assists (No. 3, 4.9 apg)

— During conference play Sears ranks second in assists (6.0 apg) and fifth in points (17.6 ppg) in the SEC

— Holloway has scored 10 points or more in 16 games coming off the bench this season, which leads the SEC

— Since the 2020-2021 season, Alabama has made 15 three-pointers in 23 contests, which ranks No. 1 in Division I

— Alabama has scored 100 points or more in 96 games in program history, with Coach Oats' teams accounting for 29 percent of that number (28 games)

— Alabama has scored 85 points or more in eight straight road games, which is the longest single-season streak by any team in SEC history