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An Alabama staff member was seen shoving an Auburn fan at halftime of the most recent rivalry meeting. The incident came following a frustrating half for the visiting team.
The Crimson Tide struggled to defend over that first 20 minutes, allowing 55 points to the Tigers. The offensive explosion allowed Auburn to head into the break with a commanding double-digit lead.
Intensity was at a high, as it always is for this Iron Bowl matchup, and it seemed to trickle over to the staff.
While escorting Nate Oats to the locker room, a member of his posse appeared to make contact with a trash talking Auburn fan. While the attendee made it a point to shout something in the direction of the Tide head coach, he never left the seating section.
Alabama assistant coach shoves Auburn fan at halftime
pic.twitter.com/xtyaDRTCGz— Chris Rodgers 🦚 🇺🇸 (@rodgeau) February 8, 2024
The incident came after a tense leadup to the contest in which both coaches tossed jabs at the other side.
Bruce Pearl was heard sarcastically commenting on the convenience of Alabama getting an oft suspended contributor back on the floor for the rivalry matchup, while Oats gave the Tigers a backhanded compliment while comparing Neville Arena to a high school venue.
Bruce Pearl on Nick Pringle being available for the Auburn game tomorrow: @abc3340
“They were a little thin on the front line but one of the players that was suspended is available for the Auburn game, imagine that.” pic.twitter.com/e6i6OQjVW9
— Chris McCulley (@ChrisMcCulleyTV) February 6, 2024
In Alabama’s case, it seems that “high school” crowd got into the heads of the Crimson Tide.
It’s not the first time the Tide staff has been involved in controversy this season. Earlier this year, Oats himself was seen pushing a Missouri player out of his bench area while trying to huddle his team.
Oats wasn’t the culprit this time, and it actually appeared the Auburn fan received some sort of punishment for his part in the interaction.
The Tigers would go on to win the game convincingly, 99-81, to move into a three-way tie atop the SEC standings with Alabama and South Carolina.
Something odd always seems to happen in this rivalry, whether it be on the football field or the basketball court. In fact, in the first meeting between the two squads on the hardwood, Auburn was actually forced to play their opening possession in the dark as the lights went out in Coleman Coliseum.
Despite the oddities, it remains one of the top rivalries in college basketball. After splitting the regular season series 1-1, each team will now push to land the No. 1 seed in the SEC tournament.