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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama basketball is set to face Auburn in its final preseason exhibition before the 2026-27 regular season tips off on Thursday night at Legacy Arena. The Iron Bowl of Basketball will have a different nickname for this event: The Feud.
The Crimson Tide was named the No. 20 team in the AP Top 25 on Monday, marking the sixth consecutive preseason that head coach Nate Oats and company have been ranked in the renowned poll. Auburn isn't ranked, however, it received the 14th-most votes of the 19 programs that missed the cut.
Here's all the info you need for Thursday night's preseason edition of Alabama against Auburn:
Alabama didn't have four guards available for the Furman and Ole Miss scrimmages: Aden Holloway, Anderson Diaz, Jaxon Richardson and Preston Murphy Jr.
Holloway is serving a suspension and won't be available until the Crimson Tide's third game of the regular season against Oakland. Diaz will also not play on Thursday, as Oats said on Oct. 8 that the freshman will be out for about a month with an elbow injury. If it's exactly one month, like Holloway, Diaz's first game back would be against Oakland.
Richardson has an illness and is dealing with undisclosed minor injuries, which Oats said at SEC Tipoff on Oct. 13: "Hopefully he's back by the first real game, if not sooner." Murphy has an upper body injury. Game Central will be updated if these two play in The Feud.
Who: Alabama (2-0 in preseason exhibitions) vs. Auburn (0-1 in preseason exhibitions)
When: Thursday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m. CT
Where: Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Alabama
All-Time Series: Alabama leads the all-time series against Auburn 103-69, with the first matchup occurring on Feb. 28, 1924. This includes a current three-game win streak for the Crimson Tide. As previously stated, this game does not count, but the rivals are gridlocked at 12-12 in neutral-site showdowns.
Last Meeting: The Crimson Tide beat Auburn 96-84 in the regular-season finale at home on March 7. The win clinched Alabama the 2-seed in the SEC Tournament, as it needed to come out victorious in order to break the tie in the conference standings with Arkansas, which is now the 3-seed. Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon Jr. scored 21 points each. The duo helped the Crimson Tide get into the lane effectively, as Alabama outscored Auburn in the paint 58-32. The Crimson Tide out-rebounded the Tigers 42-28, including the use of 19 offensive rebounds for 24 second-chance points.
Stream (for free): Knight Eady's YouTube channel (Play-By-Play: Karl Ravech, Analysts: Daymeon Fishback and Richard Hendrix)
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-By-Play: Chris Stewart, Analyst: Bryan Passink, Sideline: Roger Hoover). The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.
SiriusXM: 134/201