How about that for a dramatic college basketball finish? The Alabama Crimson Tide just pulled off a major upset in electric fashion, knocking off their rivals, the Auburn Tigers, on the road in overtime thanks to a Mark Sears buzzer-beater.
GAME WINNER!! pic.twitter.com/nFZqCSfPhf
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) March 8, 2025
Talk about a signature win. That shot capped off what turned out to be an outstanding regular season for the Crimson Tide. Perhaps discussions for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament are in order after a win like this.
Well, before we can look ahead to March Madness, the SEC Tournament is going to take place in a matter of days from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Alabama made a statement on Saturday by beating Auburn, but it'd be an even bigger statement if they could do so on a Tournament stage.
Saturday's results might not impact anything for Auburn as they already had the No. 1 seed locked in for the SEC Tournament, but it did impact where the Crimson Tide will end up.
Updated SEC standings after Alabama's upset win
Rank | Team | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|
1 | Auburn Tigers | 15-3 |
2 | Florida Gators | 13-4 |
3 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 13-5 |
4 | Tennessee Volunteers | 12-6 |
T5 | Ole Miss Rebels | 10-7 |
T5 | Texas A&M Aggies | 10-7 |
T7 | Kentucky Wildcats | 10-8 |
T7 | Missouri Tigers | 10-8 |
T9 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 8-10 |
T9 | Vanderbilt Commodores | 8-10 |
T9 | Georgia Bulldogs | 8-10 |
T9 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 8-10 |
13 | Texas Longhorns | 6-11 |
14 | Oklahoma Sooners | 5-12 |
15 | LSU Tigers | 3-14 |
16 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 2-16 |
Saturday's win clinched the No. 3 seed for the Crimson Tide. They were going to get a double-bye regardless by being in the top four of the conference, but this win ensures they'll be seeded a bit higher in the SEC Tournament, which should help them immensely.
As for Auburn, they remain the conference's No. 1 seed, but end their regular season on a bit of a sour note. Hopefully, that won't impact them in the Conference Tournament.
SEC Tournament Bracket after Alabama's upset win
First Round (Wed. March 12)
Game Number | High Seed | Low Seed |
|---|---|---|
Game 1 | (9) Mississippi State | (16) South Carolina |
Game 2 | (12) Arkansas | (13) Texas |
Game 3 | (10) Vanderbilt | (15) LSU |
Game 4 | (11) Georgia | (14) Oklahoma |
Second Round (Thurs. March 13)
Game Number | High Seed | Low Seed |
|---|---|---|
Game 5 | (8) Missouri | Game 1 Winner |
Game 6 | (5) Ole Miss | Game 2 Winner |
Game 7 | (7) Kentucky | Game 3 Winner |
Game 8 | (6) Texas A&M | Game 4 Winner |
Quarterfinals (Fri. March 14)
Game Number | High Seed | Low Seed |
|---|---|---|
Game 9 | (1) Auburn | Game 5 Winner |
Game 10 | (4) Tennessee | Game 6 Winner |
Game 11 | (2) Florida | Game 7 Winner |
Game 12 | (3) Alabama | Game 8 Winner |
Semifinals (Sat. March 15)
Game Number | Team vs. | Team |
|---|---|---|
Game 13 | Game 9 Winner | Game 10 Winner |
Game 14 | Game 11 Winner | Game 12 Winner |
Championship (Sun. March 16)
Game Number | Team vs. | Team |
|---|---|---|
Game 15 | Game 13 Winner | Game 14 Winner |
Again, even with this loss, the SEC Tournament runs through Auburn, the conference's No. 1 seed. With that being said, Alabama gutting out this win has to give many SEC teams the slightest bit of hope that they can outduel the Tigers in a potential SEC Tournament game, helping their March Madness standing in the process.
As for Alabama, this win clinches the No. 3 seed for them in the tournament. While they would've had a double-bye regardless, clinching the No. 3 seed ensures that they wouldn't have to deal with Auburn again until the final game of the SEC Tournament. Yes, the Crimson Tide proved that they can beat Auburn, but even they would probably like to avoid the Tigers if at all possible. The No. 3 seed gives them the best possible chance of that occurring.
Now, all Alabama and Auburn can do is watch the SEC Tournament play out. Neither of these teams will play until the Quarterfinals of the tournament, so they have time to regroup before embarking on what they hope will result in three big wins in the span of three days.