There were minimal postseason implications when No. 7 Alabama met No. 1 Auburn on the final Saturday of the regular season. As Alabama coach Nate Oats put it Friday, “Not a whole lot riding on this game other than some pride.”
Still, the matchup produced compelling basketball, as 40 minutes wasn’t enough to decide Saturday’s outcome. With a few seconds left on the game clock, Alabama put the ball in the hands of senior Mark Sears — and he delivered with a signature moment. Sears’ floater as time expired lifted Alabama over Auburn 93-91, denying its rival what could’ve been a program-record 16th SEC win and 28th regular-season win.
“In my mind, I was saying ‘This is going to be a game-winner,’” Sears told ESPN.
GAME WINNER!! pic.twitter.com/nFZqCSfPhf
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) March 8, 2025
Sears had been on a tear of late — 28 points per game over the last five outings. He managed only nine points Saturday, but the game-winning shot was the most important basket of the game and one of the biggest shots of the season nationally.
“The play call caused a lot of confusion,” Sears said. “I did a quick handoff to (Labaron Philon), and they didn’t switch, and I was able to get downhill with my left hand and get it off with enough time.”
Alabama was paced by Grant Nelson’s 23 points and eight rebounds, while Auburn’s Johni Broome led all scorers with a career-high 34 points in a losing effort. The Tide jumped out to an early 10-4 lead, a better start than the 9-0 deficit in its first meeting with Auburn, and carried it to a wire-to-wire first half advantage — leading 45-42.
Auburn held a few second-half leads but never by more than three points. On Saturday, Alabama was the better executing team down the stretch and made enough plays late for the upset, which was a welcomed sight after a late-game collapse at Tennessee last week.
“This is a big win for us, big win for all Alabama fans,” Nelson said. “It’s good to just have this going into the NCAA Tournament. We didn’t finish perfect, but we got the win.”
Auburn will be motivated entering the postseason after back-to-back losses to end the regular season. A career game from Broome is a good sign entering this time of year, even in a losing effort.
While Broome was phenomenal, Alabama controlled Saturday’s game from the paint, and that made the difference. The Tide won the paint point battle by a 52-40 margin, led by Nelson and Cliff Omoruyi, who scored 15 points on 7-7 shooting. Alabama also won the rebounding battle by a plus-8 margin (41-33).
“We’re in the postseason now, and the postseason is about step-up,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “Johni Broome showed step-up tonight. Grant Nelson showed step-up tonight.”
With the win, Alabama basketball has locked in the No. 3 seed in next week’s SEC Tournament. Auburn will be the No. 1 seed as regular-season champions. The first meeting, an Auburn win, helped propel the Tigers to the regular-season title, so Saturday’s result was the ultimate revenge for the Crimson Tide. A third meeting next week in Nashville could be for the SEC Tournament title — and a No. 1 seed for Alabama.
Nelson showed up for Alabama
Nelson was arguably the best player on the court Saturday, pacing Alabama’s offense as some of its usual high scorers — Sears, Aden Holloway and Chris Youngblood — struggled from the field. It was the type of performance that helped Alabama reach the Final Four a year ago, and it’s what the Crimson Tide needed from Nelson entering March.
Nelson’s talent is undeniable, but inconsistency is his last hurdle to clear. His last 20-point game was on Jan. 18, and he’s only scored 10 points in one of his last five games entering Saturday. The senior battled Broome throughout Saturday, matching basket for basket, and he provided a key offensive rebound and go-ahead basket late in overtime to set up Sears’ game-winner.
Saturday’s win was huge for Alabama, which lost four of its last six games before Saturday, and it was an especially critical game for Nelson. His elite play changed the trajectory of Alabama’s season.
“We need him playing aggressive. He was one of the best players in the country last year in March when we made our Final Four run,” Oats said. “Hopefully, we get ‘Grant Nelson in March’ back for another run.”
Required reading
(Photo: Stew Milne / Getty Images)
