TUSCALOOSA — Aden Holloway faced his former team and Alabama’s bitter in-state rival in the friendlier confines of Coleman Coliseum earlier this season. The sophomore became one of the most marquee players to transfer from Auburn to Alabama. His former side got the better of his new squad on Feb. 15, and Holloway will return to Neville Arena to face his Auburn in a much more hostile environment Saturday.

Alabama coach Nate Oats said he hadn’t yet had a conversation with his sophomore guard about handling the emotions that will come with his return to Auburn. Oats knows Holloway will receive extra attention on top of what a player gets when they wear a Crimson Tide jersey inside Neville, and he’s confident Holloway will handle it.

“It’s obviously gonna be a big game for everybody in our program,” Oats said. “But him going back there, I’m sure their fans will be ready to see him and I think he’s a pretty mentally tough kid. He’ll be ready for the game.”

Holloway’s move to Tuscaloosa has worked out well for both sides thus far. The sophomore Alabama top bench player and one of the best 3-point shooters in the SEC. Since making the move across the state, Holloway has upped his scoring to 11.7 points per game and ranks No. 6 in the SEC in offensive rating, according to KenPom.com.

Holloway’s move has benefited both teams. He has grown as a player in Oats’ system, and Auburn certainly hasn't been held back by his departure. Like it was in the first iteration of this matchup, Auburn is ranked No. 1 in the country and has already wrapped up the SEC regular season title. The Tigers are also charging toward the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Alabama has had a strong presence in away environments, but Saturday will be the harshest one it's faced yet. Alabama will need Holloway to be on his A-game after he scored just three points in the Tide's last matchup against Florida. He'll have to respond while he and his teammates attempt to tune out boos and jeers from a rowdy Auburn crowd. Auburn coach Bruce Pearl even sent a message to students about watching their language when cheering on the Tigers.

Oats is well aware of the environment Holloway is about to step back into, this time on the other side of one of the best rivalries in college basketball. He's expecting his guard to respond by playing his usual role on the court.

“Their fans are very energetic, very emotional,” Oats said. “I don’t know what words you like to use to describe them. I think you guys know how their fans are. Some I’m sure they’ll be rooting for Aden to have a bad game and he’s gotta be mentally tough and just go in there and play basketball. To me, it shouldn’t be any ‘You gotta prove this, that.’ He just needs to play basketball. He needs to play tough, hard physical. Make the right plays. Play smart. If he gets open shots, take them. But I don’t think he’s gonna force anything. He’s been really good for us this year."

Alabama will look to get the most from Holloway and churn out a better performance than it got in the first iteration of the bitter in-state rivalry. The Tide and Tigers will face off at 1:30 p.m. CT Saturday inside Neville Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.