Alabama basketball is still a favorite to make it to the regular-season finish line as a top seed despite running out of steam Saturday against Auburn. The Crimson Tide fell to No. 4 in the polls but is the Midwest Region's top seed for the NCAA Tournament after a 94-85 loss to the Tigers,

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.

In a state entrenched in football tradition, Nate Oats and Bruce Pearl have transformed the Tide and Tigers to the two best teams in college basketball.