Alabama clinches outright SEC Championship with win against Auburn

Even with how dominant Alabama was against SEC opponents, they were not able to run away with the regular season title. Texas A&M was on the Crimson Tide’s tail all season, having an impressive year of their own in conference play. However, the race is now over after Alabama’s thrilling 90-85 victory over Auburn in overtime.

Texas A&M won Tuesday’s game against Ole Miss, giving Alabama an opportunity to earn the honor outright in front of the home crowd. In-state rival Auburn was in town, making the win that much sweeter for those in Tuscaloosa. A special moment unfolded at Coleman Coliseum and they will soon be adding another title to the banners hanging in the rafter.

“It would be a lot sweeter than it was at Mississippi State,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said about winning at home before the game. “It was great two years ago but they last home game of the season in front of a ruckus crowd. I mean, it’s Auburn. It would be much better to do it… We plan on having this place sold out. It’s been sold out for a long time. So, it will be a lot better than on the road at Mississippi State.”

Oats has completely turned the Alabama program around and turned it into one of the best in the country. They now have two regular-season championships in three seasons. A tournament title was added in 2021 and there will be another opportunity in over a week’s time in Nashville.

Coming out of Wednesday’s win against Auburn, Alabama sits with a 16-1 conference record. The only loss came against Tennessee in Knoxville. Everything else was pure domination, winning 11 SEC games by double digits. Vanderbilt got the worst end of the stick, losing by 57

The play of freshman has been the big on-the-court story, especially Brandon Miller. He is on his way to being named a first-team All-American as he currently leads the SEC in scoring at 19.7 points per game. Noah Clowney, Jaden Bradley, and Rylan Griffen have made major impacts on the program in their first year as well.

Mark Sears has been a welcomed addition from the NCAA transfer portal as well. He is the only other Alabama player averaging double-figures (13.4), joining Miller. Sears will continue to be a key factor heading into the most important time of the year.

Alabama and Texas A&M are still set to face off against each other on Saturday. Last week, we all thought there could be a possibility of a winner take all scenario in College Station. Instead, the Crimson Tide will enter Reed Arena as outright SEC champions and be viewed as one of the best teams in the country.