Three hours southeast, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl was in a similar state. "This doesn't work!" he yelled at his players during a mid-February session, his hands thrown up in th

Auburn and Alabama will take perhaps the biggest step in the basketball rivalry on Saturday, when they’ll make Southeastern Conference history as the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in league history.

Saturday’s Alabama-Auburn basketball game in Tuscaloosa — AKA, the Iron Bowl of Basketball, or IBOB — is the biggest college basketball game in the history of this state. Nate Oats’ Alabama team is ranked No.