Who is the Best Basketball Team in Alabama?

The stakes have never been higher than on Saturday, as No. 1 Auburn will travel to Tuscaloosa to take on No. 2 Alabama in the Iron Bowl of Basketball (The IBOB) in the first No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup in SEC basketball history.

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Alabama enters the Saturday showdown 21-3, 10-1 in conference play, riding a seven-game win streak after a home loss to Ole Miss.

Auburn enters the game 22-2, 10-1 in conference play, after rebounding from a home loss to Florida with a big road victory at Vanderbilt.

Saturday's 3:00 p.m. CT tip-off between Alabama and Auburn will finally answer the question: Who is the best basketball team in the state of Alabama?

Before Saturday arrives, and the biggest regular season basketball game in Alabama history takes place, let's take a look at the numbers and see where the Crimson Tide and the Tigers compare.

Based on the overall record, Auburn has a slight lead over Alabama in the "best basketball team" race, with 22 wins compared to Alabama's 21 wins. However, a raw overall record is a pitiful way to dissect who is better.

Of Auburn's 22 wins, the Tigers are 13-2 in Quad 1 games - Quad 1 consists of teams ranked 30 or higher in the NET if the game is played at home, 50 or higher if it is a neutral game, and 75 or higher if it is a road game. The Tigers' only two losses came to NET No. 2 Duke in a road game, and Net No. 4 Florida at home. Auburn currently has Quad 1 wins over:

Houston (3)
Tennessee (5)
Iowa State (7)
Purdue (9)
Ole Miss (21)
Missouri (22)
Ohio State (28)
Mississippi State (30)
Texas (33)
Georgia (35)
Vanderbilt (42)
Memphis (45)
North Carolina (50)

(Net Ranking)

Auburn is also 3-0 in Quad 2 games.

For Alabama, the Crimson Tide ranks No. 6 in the NET, with an 8-3 record in Quad 1 games. The Crimson Tide's three losses came to Purdue (9), Ole Miss (21), and Oregon (34).

Alabama currently has Quad 1 wins over:

Houston (3)
Texas A&M (12)
Illinois (13)
Kentucky (15)
Mississippi State (30)
Texas (33)
Arkansas (41)
North Carolina (50)

Alabama also has a 7-0 record in Quad 2 games.

Based on the overall record in Quad 1 games, and the Tigers defeating four top-10 opponents compared to Alabama's one, the Net would suggest the Tigers are the better team.

This result is supported by Kenpom, which ranks Auburn as the No. 1 team in the country, despite the two blemishes on the record.

Auburn touts an offensive rating of 131.0 according to Kenpom, the No. 1 offensive rating in the country. When adjusted for strength of schedule, Auburn's offensive rating is 115.2, good for fourth in the country. Defensively, Auburn's rating is 95.0, or No. 17 according to Kenpom. When adjusted for strength of schedule, it is the top defensive rating in the country at 99.2.

For Alabama, the offensive rating is No. 2, just behind the Tigers at 127.2. Defensively, Alabama is a borderline top-40 team, coming in right at No. 40 with a 98.3 rating.

The numbers favor Auburn, although slightly, in this category as well.

While the numbers favor Auburn right now, Alabama has a chance to prove it should be the top team in the country on Saturday when Auburn comes to Tuscaloosa.

Alabama head coach Nate Oats is not shying away from the big stakes of the top-ranked throwdown on Saturday.

"I mean, we'll see Saturday who's the best team in the country I guess," Oats said. "... Do I think we're the best team in the country? I think we got a chance to be but Auburn's the best team in the country right now and we want to knock them out on Saturday if we want to claim to be the best team in the country."

Wyatt Fulton is the TIde 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.