Nate Oats on ruling Derrion Reid out for Alabama basketball vs Arkansas
Watch Nate Oats talk about freshman Derrion Reid’s reason for missing Saturday’s game at Arkansas.
Saturday night will be historic when Alabama basketball tips off against rival Auburn.
Actually, it will mark a historic moment for the Iron Bowl in general, as for the first time in men’s basketball or football, the Iron Bowl will pit the Crimson Tide the Tigers in a matchup of the top two teams in the country: Nate Oats and Bruce Pearl’s teams are ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively.
Following losses by Auburn and Duke loss to Florida and Clemson last Saturday — coupled with Alabama’s road win over Arkansas — the Crimson Tide claimed the top spot in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
Despite the loss, the Tigers fell just one spot, to No. 2 overall. Either way, Saturday’s game at Coleman Coliseum will be the first time any SEC teams have faced off as the No. 1 vs. No. 2 teams in college basketball.
Even more history for the game: unofficially, it will be the fifth time two No. 1 teams face off (i.e., an AP Poll No. 1 faces off against the Coaches Poll No. 1). It has happened once in the NCAA Tournament, though Kansas and Oklahoma in January 2016 were the last teams to meet in the regular season as No. 1 teams.
In addition, this marks the sixth in-state meeting between the top two teams in the AP poll in Division I history, and the first since a 2008 game between Tennessee and Memphis. Auburn coach Bruce Pearl was the Vols’ coach that year.
All that to say: There has never been a bigger Alabama-Auburn basketball game. Here’s what you need to know about the historic matchup that will pit the No. 1 AP poll team vs. the No. 1 Coaches’ poll team:
Auburn, the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25, enters Saturday’s historic game matching its second-best 24-game start to a season in program history. The Tigers also began the 2021-22 season with a 22-2 record, while the best start in program history was a 23-1 start to the 1998-99 season.
Meanwhile, Alabama is off to a 21-3 start, is the No. 1 team in the Coaches Poll and is in contention for a third straight 25-win season (and potentially a second straight 30-win season) under Oats. Last season, the Crimson Tide reached the NCAA Final Four for the first time in program history.
Outcome: Kansas 109, Oklahoma 106, 3 OT
Perry Ellis tallied 27 points and 13 rebounds in the Jayhawks’ triple-overtime win over the Sooners on Jan. 4, 2016, despite Buddy Hield’s 46-point effort on 13-of-23 shooting. Kansas entered the week as the No. 1 seed in the AP poll, with Oklahoma ranking second. In the Coaches Poll, the Sooners held the No. 1 position and the Jayhawks the No. 2 position.
Hield led Oklahoma to the Final Four, while Kansas State reached the Elite Eight.
Outcome: Ohio State 49, Wisconsin 48
Wisconsin ― ranked No. 1 in the AP poll ― faced Ohio State, which held the No. 1 spot in the Coaches Poll. This was another close matchup in what had been a trend between the two teams. Mike Conley Jr. hit a game-winning 2-pointer with six seconds left to lift the Buckeyes over the Badgers, 49-48.
Curiously, that meeting was the second of three games between the Badgers and Buckeyes that season. Wisconsin won the first meeting on Jan. 9, 2007, 72-69, in a meeting of top-10 teams. They met again in the Big Ten Tournament, this time as top-five teams, with Ohio State claiming the rubber match 66-49.
Ohio State lost to the Florida Gators in the national championship game, and Wisconsin lost to UNLV in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Outcome: Michigan 87, Wichita State 85
Michigan and Wichita State met on Monday, Dec. 14, 1964 as the No. 1 teams in the UPI and AP polls, respectively. The UPI Poll released on Dec. 8, whereas the AP released on Dec. 14 — the morning of their meeting.
The Wolverines entered the game coming off a 74-73 loss at Nebraska. Despite this, the Wolverines’ 87-85 win over Wichita State helped catapult them to the No. 1 spot in the AP poll on Dec. 21, 1964. The UPI was less forgiving of the loss to the Cornhuskers, however, dropping the Wolverines to No. 2 behind Wichita State, despite the head-to-head win, the following day. The Wolverines were later moved to No. 1 in the UPI in the ensuing weeks.
Both Wichita State and Michigan faced the same fate in the postseason. The Shockers fell to UCLA in the national semifinals, while the Wolverines lost to the Bruins in the national championship. It was Wichita State’s first Final Four appearance.
Outcome: Cal 77, Cincinnati 69
On March 18, 1960, Cal knocked off Cincinnati in the NCAA semifinal for the first-ever matchup between the top-ranked teams of the AP and UPI polls.
Cincinnati rebounded to beat New York University 95-71 in the consolation game, whereas Cal fell 75-55 to Ohio State in the national championship game.
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