The Alabama–Auburn men's basketball rivalry is a

men's college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

rivalry between the

Auburn Tigers The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year coeducational university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

and the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a mem ...

. Though both schools are best known for their prestigious

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

programs, the deeply rooted rivalry between the two extends to basketball as well.

Foy-ODK Sportsmanship Award

The

trophy A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achievement, and serves as a recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics. In many sports medals (or, in ...

given to the winner of the Alabama–Auburn football game is the Foy-ODK Sportsmanship Award. It is named after James E. Foy, an Alabama graduate and former Auburn dean of students and

Omicron Delta Kappa Omicron Delta Kappa (), also known as The Circle and ODK, is one of the most prestigious honor societies in the United States with chapters at more than 300 college campuses. It was founded December 3, 1914, at Washington and Lee University in ...

Honor Society (ODK) – which was established on both campuses during the 1920s. The trophy is presented by the ODK president from the losing school to the winning school at midcourt during halftime of the Alabama–Auburn men's basketball game at the winning school's home arena.

Notable games

March 1, 1924 - Alabama defeats Auburn at the Southern Conference Tournament in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

40–19 in their first ever meeting. January 5, 1955 - In the first ever matchup in which either team was ranked, #16 Alabama defeats #20 Auburn 99–78. February 27, 1960 - #13 Auburn clinches its first ever SEC championship with a dramatic 63–61 victory over Alabama by a last second lay up in overtime. February 14, 1970 - Auburn's

John Mengelt John P. Mengelt (born October 16, 1949) is an American former professional basketball player. Early life A two-year starter at Wendell Willkie High School (now Elwood High School) in Elwood, Indiana, Mengelt was named all-conference two years, n ...

scores a school-record 60 points and hits 23-of-44 field goals in the Tigers' 121–78 blow-out over Alabama. January 22, 1972 - After Auburn won 26 of 30 games in the series Alabama stopped the streak with 89–66 win. March 8, 1975 - Auburn upsets #7 Alabama 76–70, snapping the Tide's 7 game win streak in the series. January 3, 1977 - #3 Alabama survives on the road with a 74–71 victory over #20 Auburn. January 5, 1983 - Led by

Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on TNT. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "Chuck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley played 16 seasons in the Natio ...

, Auburn upsets #5 Alabama 91–80. March 9, 1985 - Auburn becomes the first team in SEC history to win four tournament games in four days as Auburn defeats Alabama in the SEC Tournament Championship Game 53–49 in overtime. January 18, 1998 - Auburn hands Alabama their worst loss in school history with a 94–40 thrashing at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. February 21, 2001 - With 4.4 seconds left in overtime, Reggie Sharp weaves through traffic and banks in a 36-foot jumper to give Auburn a 72–69 upset of #15 Alabama. January 18, 2003 - Auburn upsets #9 Alabama 77–68, extending Auburn's home court winning streak to 7, a school series record. March 9, 2018 - After trailing by 10 points at halftime of the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, #9 seed Alabama outscored #1 seed Auburn 50–22 in the second half to win 81–63. It was the first time a 9 seed had defeated a 1 seed in the SEC Tournament. January 15, 2020 - Alabama handed #4 Auburn its first loss of the season 83–64. This was the first time Alabama had beaten a top 4 team since 2004. February 11, 2023 - #3 Alabama would win for the second time in three years at

Neville Arena Neville Arena, formerly Auburn Arena, is a 9,121-seat multi-purpose arena in Auburn, Alabama, Auburn, Alabama, on the campus of Auburn University. Built in 2010 to replace Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum, the $86 million facility is the home of ...

as they beat Auburn 77–69. This game was featured as the College GameDay game of the week, a first for the rivalry and for Alabama basketball.

Game results

Since 1924, the Crimson Tide and the Tigers have played 168 times. Alabama leads the all-time series, with 101 wins to Auburn's 67. The game has been played in 10 cities: Auburn, Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Montgomery, Atlanta, Louisville, Memphis, Nashville, Orlando, and St. Louis. Alabama leads the series in Tuscaloosa (50–11), Atlanta (2–1), Louisville (2–0), Memphis (1–0), Nashville (1–0), Orlando (1–0), and St. Louis (1-0). Auburn leads the series in Auburn (34–28), Montgomery (17–9) and Birmingham (4–3). In games played at neutral sites, the Tigers lead (22–20); in games played during the SEC Tournament, the Crimson Tide lead (8–2); and in games played during the SEC Tournament Championship, the Tigers lead (1–0). In games in which only Auburn was ranked, the Tigers have a 13–4 record; in games in which only Alabama was ranked, the Tide have a 26–8 record. In games in which both teams were ranked, Alabama leads 4–1. A total of 12 games have gone past regulation, with the Tigers leading at 8–5. ''All scores, dates, and rankings come from the Auburn University athletic website.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alabama-Auburn men's basketball rivalry College basketball rivalries in the United States Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball Auburn Tigers men's basketball