No. 1 Auburn Wins 2025's First Edition of the IBOB

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nazario Pangallo | Last updated Feb 15, 2025 6:49 PM ET

In the greatest matchup in the history of the Iron Bowl of Basketball, the best rivalry in the Southeastern Conference provided a classic with No. 1 Auburn remaining atop the conference with a 94-85 victory inside Coleman Coliseum. '

Alabama was playing from behind since the jump. Auburn began the game with a 14-4 run and never allowed the Tide to take the lead. The Tigers were in command throughout and matched every run the Tide went on.

But, with 11:23 remaining in the game, Alabama finally made its move. The Tide went on a 15-2 that was capped off by a Mark Sears dish to Grant Nelson that was slammed home to tie it at 65.

However, that didn't faze Auburn as the Tigers answered with a 7-0 run that gave Auburn enough breathing room to scratch out a victory.

National Player of the Year candidate Johnni Broome started the game with a pair of triples before finishing with 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting to go with 13 boards and six assists. Broome's contributions were aided by guard Denver Jones dropping 16 points and three 3-pointers.

Snipers Chad Baker-Mazara and Tahaad Pettiford provided multiple big-time jump shots, including back-to-back triples by each, to keep Alabama at bay.

Six different Auburn players finished with double-digit points, while just four Alabama players totaled double figures.

With just six games remaining in the regular season, the SEC race is coming down to the wire, with Auburn and Alabama just a game apart. The Tigers will play host to Arkansas on Wednesday, while the Tide will travel to Missouri on the same day. The two will play a rematch inside Neville Arena on March 8.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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