The Alabama Auburn basketball game didn't count in the standings, but nobody in Birmingham seemed to care. No. 20 Alabama beat Auburn 87-85 in "The Feud," a men's basketball exhibition at Legacy Arena on Thursday night, Oct. 22. The game had 12 lead changes and seven ties, a scuffle in the first four minutes and another flare-up after the final buzzer.
Key points
- Final score: Alabama 87, Auburn 85 at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, according to Auburn Athletics and 247Sports.
- Auburn's Kevin Overton led all scorers with 26 points, including six 3-pointers. Alabama's Amari Allen had 23 and Qayden Samuels added 20.
- There were 12 lead changes and seven ties, and neither team led by more than seven points, Auburn Athletics reported.
- Auburn out-rebounded Alabama 51-42 despite losing Bukky Oboye and Tahaad Pettiford to fouls.
- The exhibition was set up to raise extra money for each school's NIL collective, AL.com and SEC Country reported. This wasn't a charity game.
Legacy Arena at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, where Alabama and Auburn met in "The Feud." Photo: AuburnShuffle, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
How the Alabama Auburn basketball game unfolded
Auburn's official recap said "there was no exhibition feel" to the night, and the result backs that up. The Tigers led for 13 minutes of the first half. Then Alabama closed the half on a 12-5 run to go into the break up 44-41. Narcisse Ngoy and Overton each had eight first-half points for Auburn.
A Qayden Samuels 3-pointer at the 12:40 mark gave Alabama its biggest lead, 58-51. Auburn answered with an 11-1 run, helped by back-to-back 3s from Adam Olsen, and went up 62-59 with 10:43 left. A 9-0 Alabama run made it 68-62. Down 72-67, Overton scored seven straight points to put Auburn ahead 74-72, and a Pettiford jumper made it 78-76 at the final media timeout.
The game was tied at 80 before Allen took over. He scored five of Alabama's last seven points, including an and-one that put the Tide up three, according to 247Sports. Alabama led 86-85 when it went to the line with 3.9 seconds left. Drew Fielder made the first free throw and missed the second, and Auburn couldn't control the rebound in time to get off a potential game-winning shot.
Allen finished with 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting, plus 7-of-9 at the line. Olsen made four 3-pointers and scored 12 for Auburn, and Pettiford had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists before he fouled out with about three minutes to go. Oboye had fouled out with seven minutes left.
Scuffles, a coaches' exchange and "a Sweet Sixteen game in October"
Things got heated early. 247Sports reported that Auburn coach Steven Pearl and Alabama coach Nate Oats had a heated exchange while trying to break up a scuffle that followed an early rebounding skirmish. Right after the final buzzer, Auburn's George Kimble III shoved Alabama's Amari Allen during an argument.
Pearl didn't apologize for the intensity. "That felt like a Sweet Sixteen game in October," he said afterward, according to 247Sports. "It was a fiery game. It got chippy — as it should. Only took four minutes to be a scuffle."
He also took aim at the broadcast setup. The game was streamed free on promoter Knight Eady's YouTube channel, not on a TV network. "It's a joke that that wasn't on national television tonight," Pearl said.
He also pointed to his team's biggest problem: fouls. "40 free throws in the first game, 36 in the second game. That's going to be a point of emphasis for us moving forward," he said.
Alabama had some key players out. 247Sports reported that guard Aden Holloway (suspension), Cole Cloer (lower-body injury), Anderson Diaz (injury) and Collins Onyejiaka did not play. Freshman forward Jaxon Richardson made his Alabama debut after missing the first two exhibitions with an injury.
What's next for Alabama and Auburn
Alabama finished its preseason 3-0. Before this game, the Tide beat Furman 111-93 and Ole Miss 92-84. The regular season starts Tuesday, Nov. 3, against Sam Houston at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, according to Alabama's official schedule.
Auburn is 0-2 in exhibitions after also losing to Florida State. The Tigers finish the preseason against Samford at Neville Arena on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. CT, then open the regular season at home against Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 4.
Thursday's game was the first of at least three meetings between the rivals this season. The two regular-season games are set for Jan. 30 in Tuscaloosa and March 6 in Auburn. Auburn Athletics noted the teams could meet as many as five times if they also face each other in the SEC Tournament and the postseason.
Why it matters
The Feud is a sign of where college basketball money is heading. A preseason game that once might have been a closed-door scrimmage became a ticketed event in a big arena, with proceeds going to each program's NIL collective. When a rivalry this heated can fill a neutral-site arena in October, other schools will notice.
The game also showed where both teams stand. Alabama won without one of its best guards and still found a closer in Allen. Auburn lost last season's two meetings with the Tide, and Pearl said his players "did not want" to get pushed around again. They didn't, and they won the rebounding battle. But the fouls that cost them two key players this time will need fixing before the rivals meet again on Jan. 30. Pearl called it "a really competitive game." Fans who watched the free stream probably agree.
Sources
- Auburn Athletics – Alabama outlasts Auburn 87-85 in exhibition thriller
- 247Sports – Everything Steven Pearl said after Auburn's 'fiery' exhibition loss to Alabama
- 247Sports (Bama247) – Three takeaways from Alabama's 87-85 exhibition win against Auburn
- FanSided/Fly War Eagle – Alabama downs Auburn 87-85 in Birmingham
- Auburn Athletics – The Feud: Auburn to face No. 20 Alabama in Birmingham
- AL.com – How to watch Alabama basketball vs. Auburn for free tonight
- AL.com – Auburn, Alabama will meet in basketball exhibition in Birmingham on Oct. 22
- Alabama Athletics – 2026-27 men's basketball schedule
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