Let’s get this out of the way first — 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. 1 in one major poll, No. 2 in the other. Bruce Pearl’s Auburn squad is ranked No. 1 in one major poll, No. 2 in the other.
Never before has either school been involved in a 1 vs. 2 game in men’s basketball — or any other sport as far as we can tell. It’s also the first 1 vs. 2 men’s basketball game involving two SEC schools.
All that said, it’s hardly the first massive college basketball game to take place in this state. Though the list of forebears in that category is not long, it is distinguished.
But before we get to the list, we must note a few “honorable mentions.” One of those didn’t even involve a team from this state, but was played in Birmingham — the 1980 SEC tournament final between No. 2 Kentucky and No. 5 LSU, which the Tigers won 80-78 on the way to an NCAA tournament Elite Eight berth.
Two other massive games we must make note of happened in the very recent past — Auburn’s 53-51 win over No. 6 Tennessee on Jan. 25 at Neville Arena and the Tigers’ 90-81 loss to No. 6 Florida last Saturday, also in Auburn. You could certainly make the case that either of those two games were among the most high-stakes in this state’s history, we just thought it would be kind of boring to recap what is so fresh in all of our minds.
So with all of that said, here are 10 of the most-anticipated college basketball games in the state of the Alabama through the years (in chronological order):
No. 7 Alabama 101, No. 8 Kentucky 77
Montgomery, Feb. 25, 1956
The only Crimson Tide team to finish unbeaten in SEC play had its biggest night of the year in smashing the Wildcats — who had just one conference loss coming in — in front of a crowd of more than 10,000 at State Coliseum (now Garrett Coliseum). Jerry Harper, Alabama’s All-America center, scored 37 points in the rout, then was carried off the court by fans. Johnny Dee’s Crimson Tide team has gone down in history as the “Rocket 8.”
No. 13 Auburn 63, Alabama 61 (OT)
Montgomery, Feb. 27, 1960
Coach Joel Eaves and the Tigers clinched the first SEC men’s basketball championship in program history in captivating fashion at Garrett Coliseum, as Ray Groover twisted his way through the Crimson Tide defense for a driving layup and the game-winner with one second remaining in overtime. Auburn has won the SEC regular-season title just three more times in 65 years since.
No. 6 Kentucky 87, No. 3 Alabama 85
Tuscaloosa, Jan. 29, 1977
The Crimson Tide and Wildcats were engulfed in a three-team SEC race with Tennessee when Kentucky rolled into Memorial (now Coleman) Coliseum on this late-January Saturday. Alabama big man Ricky Brown fouled out in the final two minutes, and Kentucky cashed in four straight free throws to clinch the victory.
No. 20 UAB 68, No. 3 Virginia 66
Birmingham, March 18, 1982
In just their fifth year of existence as a program, Gene Bartow’s Blazers took down Ralph Sampson and the mighty Cavaliers in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament at Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Arena. A pair of Donnie Speer free throws with 11 seconds left secured the win for UAB, which lost to Louisville in the Elite Eight round two days later.
No. 5 Alabama 74, No. 3 Kentucky 67
Tuscaloosa, Jan. 8, 1983
In the first-ever top 5 college basketball matchup played in the state of Alabama, the Crimson Tide scored 10 straight points and held the Wildcats scoreless for nearly four minutes late in the game to erase a five-point deficit and win in Coleman Coliseum. Backcourt mates Ennis Whatley and Mike Davis each scored 19 points for Alabama, then in the midst of six straight trips to the NCAA tournament under coach Wimp Sanderson.
Auburn 53, Alabama 49 (OT)
Birmingham, March 9, 1985
The Crimson Tide and Tigers have faced off in the SEC tournament a handful of times over the years, but never with more on the line than this championship-game meeting 40 years ago at the BJCC. Tournament MVP Chuck Person scored 16 points and Gerald White was clutch at the free-throw line as Auburn won the SEC tournament title for the first time ever and the only time until 2019. Tigers coach Sonny Smith had announced his decision to retire shortly before the SEC tournament began, but stayed on another three seasons after leading Auburn to the Sweet 16 in that year’s NCAA tournament.
No. 17 Kentucky 80, No. 9 Alabama 54
Birmingham, March 15, 1992
The Crimson Tide was going for a fourth straight SEC tournament championship, and had just knocked off Arkansas by a point in the semifinals on Eliot Washington’s clutch last-second shot. Rick Pitino’s Wildcats, back from the brink of NCAA sanctions, were looking to re-establish themselves as kings of the conference. This one was no contest, however, as tournament MVP Jamal Mashburn poured in 28 points to win would be the first of four straight SEC tournament titles for Kentucky. It was also the last SEC tournament for Sanderson, who won the event five times in 13 seasons as Alabama’s head coach.
UAB 58, Alabama 56
Tuscaloosa, March 18, 1993
Bartow and Sanderson had famously feuded for years over a number of issues (many involving recruiting), so it took Sanderson’s exit from Alabama and the whims of the NIT selection committee to finally get the two teams together on the court. Stanley Jackson scored 17 points for Bartow’s Blazers, sinking two free throws in the final seconds to clinch the win over first-year coach David Hobbs and the Crimson Tide at Coleman Coliseum. Columnist Clyde Bolton predicted in the next day’s Birmingham News that “men may walk on Mars” before Alabama and UAB played again in basketball, and thus far, neither has happened.
No. 3 Auburn 81, Vanderbilt 63
Auburn, Feb. 18, 1999
Arguably the best Auburn team of the pre-Pearl era continued its regular-season roll on this night at Beard-Eaves Coliseum, clinching at least a tie for its first SEC title in 39 years. Doc Robinson scored 16 points and dished out nine assists for the Tigers, who ran their record to 24-1 with the victory. Cliff Ellis’ Tigers split their final two regular-season games on the road to win the SEC regular-season title outright, then lost to Kentucky in the semifinals of the SEC tournament before reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
No. 5 Alabama 65, No. 8 Florida 64
Tuscaloosa, Feb. 23, 2002
Mark Gottfried’s Crimson Tide clinched its first SEC regular-season championship since 1987, when Gottfried was a sharp-shooting guard at his alma mater. It was another Alabama backcourt player who was the star on this afternoon at Coleman Coliseum, with Antoine Pettway’s driving layup in the final seconds giving his team the one-point win over Billy Donovan and the Gators. Alabama went on to finish as SEC tournament runner-up, before losing in shocking fashion in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
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