Alabama vs. Auburn: X-Factors for Round 2 of the Iron Bowl of Basketball

Alabama vs. Auburn: Round 2… ding ding!

That’s what Saturday will certainly feel like in Auburn, as the top-ranked Tigers look to finish out the SEC regular season by sweeping current-No. 7 Alabama on its home floor. Auburn took the ballyhooed Round 1 in Tuscaloosa just 3 weeks ago – a 94-85 slugfest that took quite a wind out of the sails of the then-No. 2 Crimson Tide.

Since Feb. 15, Alabama has lost 3 more games (to No. 15 Mizzou, No. 5 Tennessee and No. 5 Florida) against wins vs. No. 17 Kentucky and No. 24 Mississippi State.

Auburn, on the other hand, reeled off victories against Arkansas, Georgia, Ole Miss and No. 17 Kentucky before being upset Tuesday at No. 22 Texas A&M.

Have no doubt, Neville Arena will be jammed to the gills Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET when one of the most heated rivalries in college athletics writes its next chapter. And sure, it is easy to prognosticate by saying Alabama’s Mark Sears or Auburn’s Johni Broome will be players to watch in the Iron Bowl of Basketball – which is true, but it is also not unlike saying the sun will probably rise in the east that morning as well.

Instead, we here at Saturday Down South want to draw your focus to 2 players who aren’t above-the-title standouts but could well be the X-factors to victory for the Tigers and Crimson Tide.

Auburn’s X-Factor: G Tahaad Pettiford

Why he matters: A 6-1 freshman, Pettiford has seen the kind of scoring inconsistency that many expect from first-year college hoopers. But when Pettiford is on, he is on.

And one of those capital-letters, bold-type “on” performances came against the Crimson Tide on Feb. 15, as Pettiford went 5-of-10 from the field for 13 points in 23 minutes off the bench. And while Pettiford only made 1 of his 5 attempts from the 3-point arc, that make definitely counted huge – a jumper with 7:31 to play to answer an Alabama rally and provide Auburn a 68-65 edge.

“Man, that just goes to show you how great of a player he is. Tahaad, he’s young, but he’s got a lot of things that you just can’t teach — and that’s one of them,” teammate Denver Jones told reporters after the game. “He comes down, and he answers their 6-0 run. He comes down and sparks our run. That just goes to show you how important he is.”

Pettiford has been arguably even more impressive since that first win against Alabama. He scored 21 points in 33 minutes against Kentucky last Saturday, and then popped for 19 points – including a 6-for-10 effort from 3-point range – in 35 minutes as a first-time starter against Texas A&M.

After all that, Pettiford won’t be sneaking up on the Crimson Tide on Saturday. Instead, he could well be the key component for the Tigers to head into the SEC Tournament on a winning note.

Alabama’s X-Factor: G Labaron Philon

Why he matters: A 6-4 freshman, Philon is like Pettiford in that he has shown he can completely disrupt games from the 3-point arc. But unlike Pettiford, Philon didn’t flash that long-range game on Feb. 15 – missing his only 3-point attempt en route to 10 points against the Tigers.

The one-time Auburn commit combined with Mark Sears and the rest of the back-court staff to notch just 8 assists against the Tigers, a number that is a season-low for Alabama. And while Philon was a starter during much of the early part of the 2024-25 season, he was coming off the bench due to a nagging ankle injury.

Philon is healthy again, however, and has replaced Chris Youngblood back in the starting rotation alongside Sears in the backcourt. And even with Philon at times struggling with his scoring earlier this season, Oats loves that Philon is becoming a pesky defender with a nose for rebounding and playmaking.

“I think some of that stuff’s an effort thing,” Oats said earlier in the season. “Sometimes when guys are struggling, you play hard, you make some blue-collar plays – you make some effort plays. You play aggressive, you get downhill, you get yourself going a little bit.”

Philon’s overall game has seen an uptake in recent games, too – scoring 13 points and nicking 5 steals in 32 minutes against Tennessee last Saturday and dropping 19 points with 5 rebounds and 4 assists against Florida on Wednesday.

Philon is projected as a Round 1 NBA Draft pick (and potential lottery pick). If he plays like it on Saturday, Alabama can win. If he struggles like he has at times this year, the Tide will potentially struggle.

David Wasson

An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.