BamaCentral Courtside: Alabama 79, Auburn 75

The Crimson Tide protects home court and takes Round 1 of the 2024 Iron Bowl of Basketball.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama has its signature win. 

In front of a packed, raucous inside Coleman Coliseum Wednesday night, The Crimson Tide knocked off No. 8 Auburn, 79-75. 

Alabama was able to overcome slow starts in both halves, largely thanks to Mark Sears, Rylan Griffen, Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and Grant Nelson.

Sears continued his strong play with 22 points and a season-high eight assists. Rylan Griffen sparked the Alabama offense in the first half, making his first four 3-point attempts and finishing with 17 points. Wrightsell also made four 3-pointers and had 14 points. 

Nelson earned his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds. He was crucial down the stretch with 12 of his points coming in the second half and some key offensive rebounds that helped Alabama build its lead. 

Alabama head coach Nate Oats challenged his team's competitiveness throughout the week, and he liked what he saw from the team in that area in the win over the Tigers. 

"I think it shows we do have some fight," Oats said. "We do have some guys that have some competitive juices to 'em. Look at a guy like Rylan and Sears. I think we've got some guys that don't just wanna lay down and take Ls."

The Crimson Tide has had several close losses throughout the season, but struggled to close out games. The win over Auburn (16-3, 5-1 SEC) marks Alabama's (13-6, 5-1 SEC) first top-10 victory and moves the Tide back into a tie for first-place in the SEC.

Watch the above video as BamaCentral's Blake Byler, Joe Gaither and Katie Windham share their final thoughts and analysis from inside Coleman Coliseum after Alabama's 79-75 win over No. 8 Auburn. 

How a Teammate's Challenge Pushed Grant Nelson to Big Performance Over Auburn