When was the last time No. 1 played No. 2 in men's college basketball?
It may not ever be quite as big a deal as the football version, but this Saturday's basketball edition of the Iron Bowl will be historic nonetheless: When the No. 1 Auburn Tigers travel to face the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide, it'll be just the 23rd time in men's college basketball history that the top two teams in the country will face off in the regular season, and the first time since January of 2016.
Powered by National Player of the Year candidate Johni Broome and a steady backcourt, Auburn has sat atop the AP poll for much of the season to date, ever since they rampaged to a win at the Maui Invitational back in November. Alabama, meanwhile, has won six in a row and 14 of its last 15 since a neutral-court loss to Oregon back on Nov. 30, as Nate Oats once again has the high-flying Tide playing some of the most exciting, up-tempo basketball around.
Matchups like this simply don't come around all that often, much less within one of the fiercest rivalries in college sports. So let's take a deep dive to appreciate just how rare Saturday's matchup truly is.
Full history of No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups in men's college basketball history
No. 1 and No. 2 have met a total of 22 times during the regular season in the history of the men's game, dating all the way back to 1951 — when Adolph Rupp's defending national champion Kentucky Wildcats squared off against top-ranked St. John's in Lexington. Kentucky prevailed that night, but overall, No. 2 leads the all-time series 12-10, including three of the last four dating back to February of 2007.
But most of the 1 vs. 2 showdowns we've seen have, perhaps unsurprisingly, come during non-conference play. Auburn-Alabama will be just the eighth time it's happened between conference foes, and the first time it's happened in the SEC. The last time it happened was an instant classic, as Kansas needed three overtimes to outlast No. 2 Oklahoma despite 46 points from Buddy Hield.
The full series history is below.
Date | Result |
|---|---|
Jan. 4, 2016 | No. 1 Kansas def. No. 2 Oklahoma 109-106 (3OT) |
Nov. 12, 2013 | No. 2 Michigan State def. No. 1 Kentucky 78-74 |
Feb. 3, 2008 | No. 2 Tennessee def. No. 1 Memphis 66-62 |
Feb. 25, 2007 | No. 2 Ohio State def. No. 1 Wisconsin 49-48 |
Dec. 10, 2005 | No. 1 Duke def. No. 2 Texas 97-66 |
Feb. 5, 1998 | No. 2 North Carolina def. No. 1 Duke 97-73 |
Feb. 3, 1994 | No. 2 North Carolina def. No. 1 Duke 89-78 |
Feb. 10, 1991 | No. 1 UNLV def. No. 2 Arkansas 112-105 |
Feb. 13, 1990 | No. 2 Missouri def. No. 1 Kansas 77-71 |
Feb. 4, 1986 | No. 1 North Carolina def. No. 2 Georgia Tech 78-77 (OT) |
Feb. 27, 1985 | No. 2 Georgetown def. No. 1 St. John's 85-69 |
Dec. 15, 1984 | No. 1 Georgetown def. No. 2. DePaul 77-57 |
Jan. 9, 1982 | No. 1 North Carolina def. No. 2 Virginia 65-60 |
Dec. 26, 1981 | No. 1 North Carolina def. No. 2 Kentucky 82-69 |
Nov. 29, 1975 | No. 1 Indiana def. No. 2. UCLA 84-64 |
Jan. 26, 1974 | No. 2 UCLA def. No. 1 Notre Dame 94-75 |
Jan. 19, 1974 | No. 2 Notre Dame def. No. 1 UCLA 71-70 |
Dec. 15, 1973 | No. 1 UCLA def. No. 2 North Carolina State 84-66 |
Jan. 20, 1968 | No. 2 Houston def. No. 1 UCLA 71-69 |
Dec. 14, 1964 | No. 2 Michigan def. No. 1 Wichita State 87-85 |
Dec. 21, 1954 | No. 1 Kentucky def. No. 2 Utah 70-65 |
Dec. 17, 1951 | No. 2 Kentucky def. No. 1 St. John's 81-40 |
The top two teams in the AP poll have also faced off 18 times in the postseason, including seven times in the national title game and eight times in the national semifinal. The most recent clash came back in 2005 national championship, when the No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels knocked off No. 1 Illinois to earn Roy Williams his first ring.
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