No. 2 Alabama wins OT thriller over Auburn, wins SEC regular season title

Forty minutes wasn’t enough for the Iron Bowl of basketball. After a back-and-forth second half, in many ways mirroring the team’s first meeting last month, No. 2 Alabama was too much for Auburn.

Four different Crimson Tide players made shots in an overtime period while two of the Tigers’ most impactful players fouled out. Ahead by two with about a minute remaining, Jaden Bradley and Mark Sears nabbed a pair of offensive rebounds, eventually getting Bradley to the line to ice it out. By the final buzzer, a season of historic success hit another milestone in thrilling fashion.

After reaching its highest rank ever in the Associated Press poll. After steamrolling the conference with 11 wins by at least double-digits that the team record set in 1956, per UA Athletics. After a 15-0 undefeated home season, the first since the Tide went 19-0 in 2010-11, Alabama was able to add another honorific to this year’s team: outright regular-season Southeastern Conference champions.

In front of a raucous Coleman Coliseum, the No. 2 Tide (26-4, 16-1) took the lead late for an 90-85 victory. Meanwhile, Auburn (19-11, 9-8) added a competitive showing to its March Madness resume but not the Quadrant 1 win it went into this week looking for.

Oats’ second title in his four-year tenure sets the Tide up as the one-seed in next week’s conference tournament in Nashville. With the double-bye, Alabama is in the driver’s seat for an NCAA Tournament one-seed, which could potentially see them play their first two games in Birmingham.

A double technical foul led to a multi-minute stoppage in the second half. After the referees reviewed a scrum on the court where players from both teams had to be separated, Auburn’s Johni Broome fouled out and two Tide players, including starter Charles Bediako, were ejected.

Still, Alabama mustered a late run while Auburn sputtered more often than not and in the process won its 16th combined SEC crown.

This post will be updated.