No. 2 Alabama had a prime opportunity to position itself for the atop the AP Top 25 poll and a regular-season SEC title. But instead, they dug themselves too deep of a first-half hole against No. 1 Auburn, suffering a pivotal and deflating home loss.
Bruce Pearl's Tigers marched into Coleman Coliseum and made a statement in a rare clash between the nation's top two teams, defeating Alabama 94-85. They led by as many as 10 points and were up nine after 20 minutes of action, which also turned out to be the final margin of victory. It was a wire-to-wire win for Auburn despite a valiant late comeback effort from the Crimson Tide.
The Tigers were virtually in control throughout the contest, improving their overall record to 23-2 and 11-1 in conference play, establishing supremacy over Alabama. Conversely, the Crimson Tide fall to 21-4 and 10-2, respectively. We know Auburn won't be ceding their men's college basketball high ground following this result, but what does it mean for Nate Oats' squad?
College basketball rankings: Where will Alabama rank after loss to No. 1 Auburn?
Considering Auburn and Alabama were neck-and-neck in the last rankings vote, it's hard to envision the Crimson Tide getting docked too substantially. They fell short versus the cream of the crop, not an inferior bottom-of-the-barrel opponent. Not to mention, 128 points separated the Crimson Tide and No. 3 Florida/No. 4 Duke, giving Oats and Co. a margin for error.
Boasting one of the strongest resumes in the country and the first-ranked scoring offense, Alabama has a legitimate case to remain second in the leaderboard. They ranked first in Strength of Schedule (SOS) and had the fifth-highest Basketball Power Index (BPI) rating entering their showdown with Auburn. Moreover, only the Tigers have recorded more quality wins than them.
In other words, albeit not the outcome they were hoping for, Alabama shouldn't be penalized too much after getting thumped by Auburn (if at all). They have earned some leeway and deserve the benefit of the doubt when the next Top 25 update rolls around.