AUBURN, Ala. — There were minimal postseason implications when No. 7 Alabama met No. 1 Auburn on the final Saturday of the regular season. As Alabama coach Nate Oats put it Friday: “Not a whole lot riding on this game other than some pride.”
Still, the matchup produced compelling basketball, as forty minutes wasn’t enough to decide Saturday’s outcome. With just a few seconds left on the game clock, Alabama put the ball in the hands of senior Mark Sears — and he delivered with a signature moment. Sears’ floater as time expired lifted Alabama over Auburn, 93-91, denying its rival what could’ve been a program-record 16th SEC win and 28th regular-season win.
“In my mind, I was saying ‘This is going to be a game-winner,’” Sears said via the ESPN broadcast after the game.
GAME WINNER!! pic.twitter.com/nFZqCSfPhf
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) March 8, 2025
Sears had been on a tear of late — 28 points per game over the last five outings. He then managed only nine points Saturday, but the game-winning shot was the most important basket of the game and one of the biggest shots of the season nationally.
“The play call caused a lot of confusion,” Sears said. “I did a quick handoff to (Labaron Philon) and they didn’t switch, and I was able to get downhill with my left hand and get it off with enough time.”
Auburn’s Johni Broome led all scorers with a career-high 34 points. Alabama, meanwhile, was paced by Grant Nelson’s 23 points and eight rebounds.
“This is a big win for us, big win for all Alabama fans,” Nelson said. “It’s good to just have this going into the NCAA Tournament. We didn’t finish perfect but we got the win.”
Auburn will be motivated entering the postseason after back-to-back losses to end the regular season. A career game from Broome is a good sign entering this time of year, even in a losing effort.
“This was not a game that Auburn was okay with losing,” Oats said. “They put everybody out there and played as many minutes as they could to get the win. So for our seniors come in here in the last game of the regular season and win at Auburn, it gives them some confidence and kinda makes up for some of these losses down the stretch.”
With the win, Alabama basketball has locked in the No. 3 seed in next week’s SEC Tournament. Auburn will be the No. 1 seed as regular-season champions. The first meeting, an Auburn win, helped propel the Tigers to the regular-season title, so Saturday’s result was the ultimate revenge for the Crimson Tide. A third meeting next week in Nashville could be for the SEC Tournament title — and a No. 1 seed for Alabama.
The Nelson that Bama needs showed up Saturday
Nelson was arguably the best player on the court Saturday, pacing Alabama’s offense as some of its usual high scorers — Sears, Aden Holloway and Chris Youngblood — struggled from the field. It was the type of performance that helped Alabama reach the Final Four a year ago, and it’s what the Crimson Tide needed from Nelson entering March.
Nelson’s talent is undeniable but inconsistency is the last hurdle for him to overcome. His last 20-point game was on Jan. 18 and he’s only scored 10 points in one of his last five games entering Saturday. The senior battled Broome throughout Saturday, matching basket for basket, and he provided a key offensive rebound and go-ahead basket late in overtime to set up Sears’ game-winner.
Saturday’s win was huge for Alabama, which lost four of its last six games before Saturday, and it was an especially critical game for Nelson. His elite play changed the trajectory of Alabama’s season.
“We need him playing aggressive. He was one of the best players in the country last year in March when we made our Final Four run,” Oats said. “Hopefully we get ‘Grant Nelson in March’ back for another run.”
Required reading
(Photo: Stew Milne / Getty Images)
