No. 2 Alabama basketball is set to play host to No. 1 Auburn basketball on Saturday at Coleman Coliseum in a historic matchup.

Bruce Pearl may want to beat Alabama bad because of the rivalry, but he has a ton of respect for coach Nate Oats.

The overwhelming majority of coaches who enter the profession will never be involved in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup. But Bruce Pearl has now been in two such games at two different schools and won both of them despite being an underdog and on the road each time.

When Bruce Pearl made history for Auburn basketball, he wasn’t surprised. His team was prepared to take on No. 2 Alabama. The 94-85 victory didn’t come as much of a shock. Following the game, Pearl explained to the rest of the nation about where his team stands.

Since his days at Florida International, Denver Jones has always had the ability to score the basketball. Coming to Auburn expanded his game defensively, as he’s become a dependable two-way player for Auburn coach Bruce Pearl and staff.

Bruce Pearl led Auburn to its first Final Four in 2019; Nate Oats got Alabama there for the first time last year. Both iterations of these teams are dynamic, deep and supremely skilled. Saturday’s College GameDay banger should trumpet a phenomenal overall campaign for the SEC.

ESPN's "College GameDay" analyst Andraya Carter sees similarities between Alabama's Nate Oats, Auburn's Bruce Pearl and her former coach Pat Summitt.

"There should not be any 3-pointers against this defense! None!" Three hours southeast, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl was in a similar state. "This doesn't work!" he yelled at his players during a mid-February session,

Alabama basketball has Mark Sears, but it could've been Auburn. Heading into Iron Bowl weekend, Tigers coach Bruce Pearl was asked what makes the All-American so crafty after devising game-plans against him for three years. Instead of offering a more ...

Auburn assistant coach Steven Pearl says Alabama doesn't hire Nate Oats if Bruce Pearl wasn't coaching at Auburn.