Bruce Pearl comments on historic Iron Bowl matchup, impact on state of Alabama
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Bruce Pearl is preparing his Auburn team to take on Alabama in a historic Iron Bowl of Basketball matchup on Saturday afternoon.
This game will mark the first time the top 2 teams in the country will face off in an SEC matchup. More than that, the winner of this game will be in the driver’s seat for the SEC regular-season title with only a few games left on the schedule.
Ahead of tipoff on Thursday, Pearl took some time to reflect on the importance of what this battle means for the growth of basketball in both the SEC and the state of Alabama.
“This is the first 1 vs. 2 matchup in the SEC that’s every happened,” Pearl said. “I just don’t think, if you were trying to predict who would be in that matchup … it would be Kentucky and who else? Could it be Tennessee, could it be Florida? … I don’t think many people would have picked Auburn-Alabama to be those teams that are first.”
Pearl also pointed to successful seasons by some of the smaller Division I programs in the state of Alabama and said they benefit from a “trickle down effect” of higher interest in basketball in the state as a result of what Auburn and Alabama have accomplished in recent seasons. Since 2017-18, Auburn and Alabama have combined to win 8 SEC titles (regular season or conference tournament).
Tipoff on Saturday is set for 4 p.m. ET.
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Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
