All eyes being on the state of Alabama is a familiar occurrence on Saturdays in the fall. But the state has never experienced anything close to what will take place this Saturday afternoon inside Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 2 Alabama is the ultimate Iron Bowl of Basketball (IBOB) matchup possible.

The historic game is a result of a long buildup in basketball hypercharged by two of the game’s best coaches and an emphasis on creating more marquee weekend games. It is the biggest basketball game in not only state of Alabama history, but possibly in the history of the Southeastern Conference.

“Football you get a lot of casual fans and I’ll watch it on Saturdays but for basketball, you really have to watch it all week,” said Brandie McLain, a huge Auburn sports fan who owns a popular fan account on X. “There’s two games almost every week and sometimes more during nonconference schedule. I think having to keep up with it more makes people more engaged in the sport.”

(Translation: Football attracts many casual fans who might just tune in on Saturdays, but basketball demands regular following throughout the week.)

Shortly after Garth Glissman left the NBA to become the SEC’s associate commissioner for men’s basketball in July 2023, he went on a listening tour. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, his new boss, posed an early challenge for him: How can the SEC make its big events bigger?

Garth traversed the SEC’s footprint to meet with coaches, administrators, and even fans to understand what they wanted to see to make SEC basketball feel bigger. What he discovered was the league needed to prioritize bigger games on Saturdays, a day football fans were accustomed to investing time and energy into.

This philosophy – plus a historically great year for the conference as a whole – has led to Saturdays that feel as big as what fans expect in the fall. Last Saturday was one of the most stacked days for the SEC, featuring No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 6 Florida. This Saturday promises both excitement and a storied rivalry casting a long shadow over SEC sports history.