No. 1 Auburn rides into Tuscaloosa, takes down No. 2 Alabama - ESPN

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — 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.

No. 1 Auburn went on the road and beat No. 2 Alabama 94-85 in the historic matchup of in-state rivals. And a rematch of the top-rated teams might be coming shortly because they meet again in Auburn on March 8. And, they might not be done then — they could face off in the SEC and NCAA tournaments.

«All eyes in college basketball were on the state of Alabama and the SEC,» Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said after his team improved to 23-2 and 11-1 in the conference. «What this conference has done in men's basketball is historic.»

Pearl pointed to Auburn's hot start in the game, scoring the first nine points, as a key to winning on the road in big games.

«You've got to play well early if you're going to win on the road,» Pearl said. «We played well early, and as you would expect, Alabama came storming back, and I've never heard Coleman [Coliseum] this loud. That's how the No. 1 teams in the country should act, that's how they should compete, that's how they should play. And I was really pleased with that.»

Alabama coach Nate Oats noted that run, too, as well as Auburn scoring the final seven points of the first half and six of the first eight points of the second half as pivotal moments.

The Crimson Tide rallied to tie the score after trailing by as many as 14 points in the second half but failed to complete the comeback. They never led Saturday, the first time that had happened in 87 home games under Oats.

«I thought we played pretty hard and didn't turn the ball over a whole lot,» Oats said, noting seven turnovers. «Too many guys were getting 3s off