College GameDay, a top-five matchup and a battle for SEC supremacy are all worthy storylines. But the key factor in the biggest Iron Bowl of basketball ever will be the man who has played on both sides of the rivalry.
A few players have traded their Iron Bowl allegiances over the years. None of them are as significant as Aden Holloway, who will enter next Saturday’s matchup as the most important transfer in the rivalry’s history.
Corey Grant spurned Nick Saban before going on to rush for more than 1,000 career yards at Auburn from 2012-14, but his highest season total was 647 yards on the ground in 2013. Antonio Kite made way for The Plains following Saban’s retirement last offseason, but he was kicked off the team at Auburn before the Iron Bowl rolled around in November.
Holloway, on the other hand, is arguably the best shooter on Alabama’s roster and enters next week’s matchup against Auburn hitting 48.3% of his 3s over his last five games. During Saturday’s 85-81 win over Arkansas, the former McDonald’s All-American helped Alabama to a team-high +8 point differential during his 23 minutes on the court. That came as he chipped in 8 points on 2 of 4 shooting from deep while also tallying a team-high four assists and five rebounds.
Holloway leads the Tide’s regulars, shooting 41.7% from deep through 23 games. He also ranks third on the team, averaging 11.5 points over 21.5 minutes per game off the bench. That success has to sting for Auburn fans, who saw him struggle during his lone season on the Plains last year.
Holloway signed with the Tigers as the No. 29 player in the 2023 class and started 26 games over 35 appearances during his freshman season. However, he managed just 7.3 points per game while shooting a disappointing 31.8% from beyond the arc.
Auburn fans taunted hopeful Alabama supporters when the Tide plucked Holloway out of the transfer portal. Now the star point guard is smiling his way into the conversation for SEC Sixth Man of the Year.
So what changed? Holloway says he’s feeling back to his old self in Nate Oats’ 3-happy setup.
“Last year was abnormal for me,” Holloway said earlier this season. “I feel like it was completely downhill. It was tough getting back up. This year, my coaches have put a lot of confidence in me. My teammates put a lot of confidence in me. It just goes hand-in-hand. Super appreciative of all of them. I would just say it feels more normal to get back to playing at a higher level.”
Oats isn’t exactly sure how he unleashed Holloway’s hot hand at Alabama, but he’ll need more of it if the Tide is going to cut down the nets as SEC champions in a month.
“I want him to shoot it every time,” Oats said following Alabama’s win over Arkansas. “Any of those that he gets open, we want him to shoot, and we’re just trying to pump him full confidence and tell him he cannot pass up any open looks period, at any point. And we gotta try to find him some more shots. So that’s good to see him making shots, though. We need somebody to make some shots.”
That will certainly be the case next weekend.
If Alabama is going to take down Auburn, it’ll need a special effort from beyond the arc. The Tigers rank 38th nationally, holding opponents to a 30.2% success rate from deep. However, they allowed Florida and Duke to combine for 22 of 55 (40%) from 3 during their two defeats this season.
Gators point guard Walter Clayton Jr. scored a team-high 19 points on 4 of 8 shooting from deep during Florida’s 90-81 upset at Auburn on Saturday. Duke’s Isaiah Evans torched the Tigers by hitting 6 of 8 shots from beyond the arc off the bench during the Blue Devils’ 84-78 win earlier this season.
Could Holloway haunt his former team by putting in a similar performance next weekend? The sophomore is stepping into an unprecedented spotlight for one of the most anticipated Iron Bowls in any sport. How he responds could very well tip the scales in this year’s SEC title race and shape his name in the rivalry’s history.
No pressure, kid.
Drink of the week — Strawberry shooter
Alabama is going to need the shots to fall next Saturday, and Tide fans might need to down a few shots themselves to ease the nerves in what figures to be a nailbiter against the Tigers.
The strawberry shooter from our friends at Session Cocktails should help do the trick. The three-point play consists of .75 ounces of vodka, .25 ounces of strawberry juice and .25 ounces of lemon juice.
Down one or two if the shots are falling for the Tide on Saturday and possibly more if they’re not.
Cheers!
(Commercial break: My drink of the week section is now sponsored by my friends at Session Cocktails in Tuscaloosa. Session has been a mainstay in Tuscaloosa’s cocktail scene since 2019 and offers some of the tastiest drinks in town. Stop by and tell them I said hi!)
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