The Tigers have a national player of the year candidate in center Johni Broome, but Alabama counters with an All-American guard in Mark Sears and four others who average double figures. With always-animated Auburn coach Bruce Pearl squaring off against one of the sport's new coaching superstars in Nate Oats in what should be a wild environment,

Auburn and Alabama top a talented Southeastern conference, each boasting 10-1 conference record. Today’s matchup will settle the No. 1 seed in the SEC. Auburn would retain the No. 1 spot with a win while Alabama would take over the top seed with a victory.

Auburn was the top overall seed in the committee’s preliminary rankings unveiled Saturday, while Alabama and Florida joined as No. 1 regional seeds.