Auburn's resume-boosting victory over Alabama did much more than create separation in the SEC regular season race.

The Auburn Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide will meet on Saturday in a college basketball matchup between the two top-ranked teams in the country.

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.

Auburn and Alabama had never played as top-10 teams. On Saturday, the Tigers and Crimson Tide squared off as the top teams in the country — and didn’t disappoint.

In the most anticipated college basketball game ever played in Alabama, No. 1 Auburn secured a massive win over No. 2 Alabama. The Tigers never trailed on Saturday afternoon, making their first shot of the game en route to a 94-85 win over the Crimson Tide.

Johni Broome had 19 points and 14 rebounds and five teammates scored in double figures as No. 1 Auburn beat in-state rival and second-ranked Alabama 94-85 on Saturday in a matchup of top-ranked teams.

The first match of the basketball Iron Bowl has gone to the Auburn Tigers. No. 1 Auburn took down No. 2 Alabama 94-85 Saturday afternoon to earn their ninth win on the season over teams currently ranked in the Top 25.