Tide faces Aubie on the Plains...

     Alabama travels to Auburn tonight to settle in for an 11AM game on Saturday with the Tigers. ESPN2 will televise the game. The Tigers are 0-3 in the SEC. The Tide is 3-0 in the league, and with most rivalry games, you can see some strange things happen. Alabama is a five-point favorite right now. The Tide is 8-3, and Auburn is 6-5. Alabama seems to have found their game, and the Tigers are struggling to find a line-up. The Crimson Tide has excellent senior leadership, and for the first time in recent years, the Tigers have none so far.

    Auburn may have zero wins in the SEC so far, but that doesn't mean they lack talent. Bruce Pearl is an excellent coach and recruiter. Right now, the Tigers are down to one point guard. The starting point guard, Justin Powell, status is still unclear as of today. He suffered a head injury before the Ole Miss game. He didn't play against the Rebels, and the burden fell on Allen Flannigan to play the point.

     After talking with two people who know Powell, I expect him back in the lineup on Saturday, but that hasn't been announced. We'll see. When you look at the Tigers' stats, it is difficult to understand why they are losing. The Tigers lead the SEC in three-point shooting, they are 3rd in assists and have out bordered most opponents. Powell is a good player. He is both a dribble-drive paint player and can shoot from the outside. He's been a pleasant surprise for Pearl, who lost Shariff Cooper in the AU recruiting scandal. For the record, Cooper has been allowed to practice but has not been cleared to play. Stay tuned in that mini-drama.

    Before his injury, Powell was the Tigers' second-leading scorer and rebounder. He also leads his team with 6.1 assists per game. That is no small feat for a player who wasn't expected to be the point guard. The lanky 6-6 Kentuckian needs to return for the Tigers to beat Alabama. Two guard Allen Flannigan leads the Auburn scorers at 13.5 ppg. Auburn has shown the ability to spread the scoring around. They have four starters in double figures.

     Expect the Tigers to shoot 25 three-point shots per game. Auburn leads the SEC in attempted threes. Alabama fans know the joys and tribulations of shooting the three-ball. The Tigers have made only 62% of their free throws. Jahvon Quinerly is out on Covid protocol (assumed). If they fall, the Tigers can beat Alabama. 

     Bottom Line:  I think the Tide should win, but the Tigers can win. It's that kind of rivalry. Alabama has a great opportunity to win. The homecourt atmosphere will be negated due to Covid. Alabama has decided on their rotation, and Alabama is playing hardhat defense. Auburn has enough highly-rated talent to win, but I like the Tide by 7.