Auburn and Alabama had never played as top-10 teams. On Saturday, the Tigers and Crimson Tide squared off as the top teams in the country and didn't disappoint.
No. 1 Auburn went on the road and beat No. 2 Alabama 94-85 in the historic matchup of in-state rivals. A rematch of the top-rated teams might be coming shortly because they meet again in Auburn on March 8. And they could face off again in the SEC and NCAA tournaments.
"All eyes in college basketball were on the state of Alabama and the SEC," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said after his team improved to 23-2 and 11-1 in the conference. "What this conference has done in men's basketball is historic."
Pearl pointed to Auburn's hot start, scoring the first nine points, as a key to winning on the road in big games.
"You've got to play well early if you're going to win on the road," Pearl said. "We played well early, and as you would expect, Alabama came storming back, and I've never heard Coleman [Coliseum] this loud. That's how the No. 1 teams in the country should act, that's how they should compete, that's how they should play. And I was really pleased with that."
Alabama coach Nate Oats noted that run as well as Auburn scoring the final seven points of the first half and six of the first eight points of the second half as pivotal moments.
The Crimson Tide rallied to tie the score after trailing by as many as 14 points in the second half but failed to complete the comeback. They never led Saturday, the first time that had happened in 87 home games under Oats.
"I thought we played pretty hard and didn't turn the ball over a whole lot," Oats said, noting seven turnovers. "Too many guys were getting 3s off that weren't supposed to be getting 3s, and they go 12-for-30 from 3."
Auburn forward Johni Broome used the stage to restate his case in the player of the year race -- one that took a hit after he missed two games due to injuries and played just two minutes in a third. Broome controlled the game Saturday, finishing with 19 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and a steal.
"I came in trying to be aggressive, and I was kind of feeling it a little bit, so went and made some plays," Broome said.
Broome briefly left the game late in the second half due to a lower-body injury after an awkward spin move. He returned and made Auburn's final two shots from the field.
He was a dominating force from the beginning. He grabbed his 10th rebound early in the second half, securing the double-double with just under 17 minutes left in the game.
Broome and five teammates scored in double figures. Denver Jones scored 16 points, Chad Baker-Mazara and Miles Kelly added 15 points apiece, Chaney Johnson had 14, and Tahaad Pettiford chipped in 13.
Auburn starter Dylan Cardwell fouled out after playing just 12 minutes, and Baker-Mazara, who came off the bench, fouled out with just over two minutes remaining. Johnson, who averages 23 minutes, picked up much of the slack, playing 33 minutes as Auburn shot 46.2% from the field.
Auburn has nine wins over AP-ranked teams this season. Saturday's win was the Tigers' first over an AP top-two team since 1988; they had lost 20 straight such games before taking down Alabama, according to ESPN Research.
Mark Sears scored 18 points and Grant Nelson added 12 points and 12 rebounds for Alabama, which entered the day shooting 34.4% from 3-point range but made just five of its 26 3-point attempts (19.2%) on Saturday.
Oats used the loss to refocus his players for the three weeks until their next game against the Tigers.
"We're not in full control of our destiny to win the league outright, but we are in control of our destiny to at least get a tie going forward," Oats said. "We'll see the maturity and leadership we have coming in on Monday."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.