Live Updates: Alabama Basketball at Auburn

The Crimson Tide looks to keep its unbeaten SEC streak going as it travels to the Plains to take on the Tigers

Second Half:

• Primo opens the second half with two free throws. He now has 16 points in the game.

• Shackelford picks up his first two points of the half with a layup.

• Layup good by Jones. Alabama has opened the second half with a 6-0 run.

• Cooper hits a jumper for Auburn's first points of the second half. 43-38 Alabama.

• Cooper gets a layup for two more points and is fouled by Shackelford.

• Cooper gets the and-one. 43-41 Alabama with 17:01 remaining.

• Johnson goes 1-for-2 from the line. 43-42 Crimson Tide.

• Primo is fouled on the way up to the basket, hits both free throws. Primo now has 18 points.

• A dunk by Thor and a layup by Cambridge puts the Tigers on top 46-45.

• Media timeout. With 15:53 remaining, Auburn leads Alabama 46-45.

• Cambridge hits a free throw. Auburn now leads by two.

• Reese hits a three, assist by Primo. Auburn responds with a dunk by Thor. Thor then follows up with three.

• Layup by Rojas. 52-50 Auburn with 14:48 left to go.

• Dunk good by Jones. Game is now tied at 52.

• Three free throws good by Ellis. Alabama regains the lead. 55-52 Crimson Tide with 13:37 left to go.

• Jumper good by Johnson. Petty fouls him on the way up. Johnson hits the and-one, and we are tied at 55 points apiece.

• Layup good by Shackelford to regain the lead for the Crimson Tide.

• Johnson hits a three-pointer, but Alabama responds with layup from Petty. Thor fouls Petty on the attempt. Petty will go to the line.

• Media timeout with 11:47 to go. Alabama leads Auburn 59-58.

• Petty hits the and-one. The Crimson Tide now leads by two.

• Flanigan hits a layup, foul on Ellis. Free throw made by Flanigan. The Tigers regain the lead.

• Free throw made by Jones to tie the game, then makes his second to take the one-point lead.

• Three-pointer good by Shackelford. 65-61 Alabama.

• Cooper hits two free throws following a foul by Jones.

• Layup good by Shackelford. He now has nine points in the game.

• Cooper now has four-consecutive free throws. 67-65 Alabama.

• Ellis is fouled by Cardwell, goes to the line and hits both free throws.

• Cooper hits a layup, Bruner answers with a three. However, Cooper responds with a three-pointer of his own.

• Primo hits two free throws. 74-70 Alabama with 8:50 to go.

• Cooper hits two free throws. He now has 22 points in the game, leading all players on both teams.

• Bruner hits his third three of the game. 77-72 Crimson Tide with 7:54 to go.

• Media timeout. Heading into the break, Alabama is five of its last five.

• Jumper good by Flanigan.

• Primo picks up his 21st and 22nd points of the game with two free throws.

• Bruner hits a free throw, and a steal by Primo gives Bruner a layup.

• Cooper hits two free throws. Alabama leads 82-76 with 5:50 to go.

• Ellis has fouled out of the game.

• Layup good by Williams cuts the Crimson Tide's lead to two.

• Thor misses a dunk but is fouled by Primo and will go to the line for two attempts. Makes both.

• Cooper get a dunk to give the Tigers an 84-82 lead.

• A free throw by Shackelford ends a 10-0 run by the Tigers.

• Bruner gets the layup to give the Crimson Tide an 85-84 lead.

• Thor layup good to give the Tigers the one-point lead with 3:46 left. Bruner gets contact on the way up. Thor will go to the line for the and-one.

• Final media timeout of the game. Auburn leads 86-85 with 3:46 to go.

• Thor hits his and-one. Auburn takes the two-point lead.

• Petty hits a jumper to tie the game at 87 points apiece with 3:18 to play.

• Jones gets the layup to give the Crimson Tide a two-point lead.

• Three-pointer good by Flanigan. Auburn leads 90-89 with 1:52 left.

• Cambridge fouls Jones. Jones hits his first to tie the game, then his second to take the lead. 91-90 Alabama with 1:52 to go.

• Layup good by Bruner. Alabama gains a 93-90 lead. :50 seconds left.

• Alabama gets the rebound off of a missed three by Cooper. Nate Oats calls a timeout. Alabama basketball with :25 to go in the game.

• Shackelford fouled from behind on the inbound pass from Bruner. He'll go to the line for two. Bruner hits his first, then misses his second. :19 to go.

• Final: Alabama 94, Auburn 90.

Halftime:

• Primo for Alabama went on a tear in the first half, tallying 14 points, four rebounds and an assist. He was 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, and 5-for-12 from the floor.

• Jones is second on the Crimson Tide in points with nine. He also leads the team in rebounds with five.

• While he heated up near the end, Auburn's Cooper had a relatively quiet first half. He tallied six points and three rebounds through the opening 20 minutes, and was 0-for-3 from the floor.

• Flanigan led the Tigers in points with 13, with six of those points coming from beyond the arc. Flanigan also led Auburn in rebounds in the first half with six.

First Half:

• The Crimson Tide has first possession, and we are underway in Auburn Arena.

• Bruner hits both free throws for the first two points of the game. Alabama leads 2-0 with 18:15 left in the first half.

• Primo gets the fast-break three-pointer to give the Crimson Tide a 5-0 lead.

• Cardwell for Auburn hits two free throws for the first Tigers points of the contest.

• Primo now has back-to-back threes to open the game. Crimson Tide up 8-2 at the 16:16 mark.

• Timeout Alabama. It is a 30-second timeout.

• Primo knocks down another three. He already has nine points through the first five minutes of gameplay. The Crimson Tide takes a 11-2 lead to start the game.

• Dunk good by Cardwell. Auburn trails 11-4.

• Primo hits yet another three-pointer. He is now 4-for-6 from beyond the arc.

• Flanigan hits the first three-pointer of the day for the Tigers. Alabama 14, Auburn 7.

• Flanigan now has back-to-back threes with a shot from the corner.

• Flanigan gets a layup. Auburn has cut the lead to two.

• Layup good by Primo. He now has 14 points through the first 10 minutes of the game.

• Back-to-back layups by Primo puts the Crimson Tide up 18-12. Media timeout.

• Jones knocks down a free throw for Alabama. 19-12 Crimson Tide at the 10-minute mark.

• Dunk good by Ellis off of a steal by Bruner.

• Jones rebounds a missed jumper from Auburn, then takes it down the court for a two-point layup.

• Johnson nails a three for the Tigers. Alabama 23, Auburn 15.

• Media timeout. 7:46 remaining in the first half.

• Jones layup good. Jones now has seven points and is 3-for-4 from the floor.

• The best-named forward in the nation in Auburn's J.T. Thor hits a free-throw to bring the game to 25-18 Alabama.

• Layup good by Cooper, his first points in an Auburn Tigers jersey. He is fouled by Petty on the attempt, but misses the free throw.

• Petty hits a three for his first points of the contest.

• A layup by Cooper and a dunk by Flanigan cuts the Alabama lead to six with 4:27 left to go in the first half.

• Thor hits two free throws. Alabama leads 28-24.

• Cooper hits another layup. He now has six points.

• Final media timeout of the first half. Auburn is on an 8-0 run over the past 3:18. The Crimson Tide leads the Tigers 28-26 with 3:05 left to go in the first half.

• Flanigan hits both free throws, and just like that a 10-0 run ties the game at 28 points apiece.

• Layup good by Bruner, but Auburn responds with a dunk by Cardwell. Game is tied at 30.

• Layup good by Petty, but Auburn responds with a three from Cambridge to take the 33-32 lead.

• Bruner hits his first three-pointer of the game. Alabama leads 35-33 with just over a minute left to go in the first.

• Auburn timeout. It is a 30-second timeout.

• Ellis fouls Flanigan. Two free throws awarded. Flanigan goes to the line and miss his first, but hits his second. 35-34 Alabama with :47 left.

• Dunk by Jones gives Alabama a three-point lead.

• Cambridge gets a dunk of his own. 37-36.

• Halftime: Alabama 37, Auburn 36

Pregame:

• Auburn freshman point guard Sharife Cooper has been granted eligibility by the NCAA and is expected to make his first start for the Tigers.

• Today's officials: Mike Nance, Byron Jarrett, Jason Baker.

• Alabama's starting five: Jaden Shackelford (G), John Petty Jr. (G), Herb Jones (W), Josh Primo (G), Jordan Bruner (F).

#BamaFirstFive pic.twitter.com/zey5o05WbH

— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) January 9, 2021

• Auburn's starting five: Jamal Johnson (G), Sharife Cooper (G), Allen Flanigan (G), J.T. Thor (F), Jaylin (F).

Starting 🖐

1️⃣ @_jamaljohnson
2️⃣ @CooperSharife
1️⃣0️⃣ @thorrjt
2️⃣2️⃣ @Allen_Flanigan2
2️⃣3️⃣ @iso__jaywill#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/VSQor2FmgU

— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) January 9, 2021

Game Preview

They say an elephant never forgets.

It may be twice as true when concerning a rival.

Saturday morning, the Alabama men's basketball team will return to the scene of one of most heartbreaking defeats in a while, Auburn.

Last February 12, Alabama nearly completed an improbable comeback after trailing 16-0 to start the game, thanks in large part to connecting on a school and Southeastern Conference record 22-of-59 three-pointers.

Austin Wiley had 18 points, a career-high 17 rebounds and five blocked shots to lead Auburn to a 95-91 overtime victory last February.

Kira Lewis Jr. was the first SEC player to have a triple-double (10 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists) in a loss since Alabama's Roy Rogers in 1996.

Jaden Shackelford led the Crimson Tide's scorers with seven three-pointers and 28 points, as Alabama rallied from big deficits in both halves. John Petty Jr. had six three-pointers for 20 points.

Alabama has dropped five consecutive games in Auburn Arena.

The Crimson Tide’s last win on the Plains came on Feb. 17, 2015 when it upended the Tigers, 79-68.

Alabama at Auburn

When: 11 a.m. CT, Saturday

Where: Auburn Arena

TV: ESPN2

Radio: Crimson Tide Radio Network (Play-By-Play: Chris Stewart, Analyst: Bryan Passink, Sideline: Roger Hoover) Sirius/XM NA/381

Last time out, Alabama: The Crimson Tide rolled over Florida at Coleman Coliseum, 86-71, on Tuesday. Alabama (8-3) improved to 3-0 in SEC play for the first time since 1986-87. Herbert Jones, Jaden Shackelford and Keon Ellis scored 16 points each, with all three scoring six in the first half and 10 in the second. James Rojas turned in 15 points while John Petty Jr. tallied a dozen to round out the Tide’s double-figure scorers. Ellis, who had scored just 23 points the entire season entering the game also led UA with eight rebounds and a +30 in +/- points. Jordan Bruner posted a game-high five offensive rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Last time out, Auburn: Fans who want to do their own scouting can check out the Tigers on Wednesday night, when they visit Ole Miss (8 p.m. CT, SEC Network). Auburn was 6-4 overall and 0-2 in league play, having lost to Arkansas 97-85 and Texas A&M 68-66. Auburn has struggled with turnovers, averaging 18.5 per game in SEC play. Jamal Johnson has stepped up in a big way and is tied for fifth in the SEC with an average of 20.5 points per game in league play. Johnson is one of just seven players in the nation to have two 20-point outings off the bench. In November, Auburn self-imposed a postseason ban this season as part of an investigation into bribery charges.

Series history: Saturday's game will mark the 163rd meeting between the programs, making it the fourth-most games Alabama has played against any one opponent. The Crimson Tide owns a 96-66 edge in the series, as the 96 victories also rank fourth-best against any foe in program history. In all, Alabama owns a record of 26-32 when playing the Tigers on their home floor. Since Auburn Arena opened in 2010, Alabama has a record of 3-7.