Auburn Basketball: Tigers Take on Rival Alabama Tuesday

A lot of people like to call it the "Iron Bowl of Basketball."

However, to put it simply, it's not. It's a game that's somehow more intense and physical. Not to mention, it was never played in Birmingham.

Auburn (13-10, 3-6 SEC) heads into tonight's game against the Crimson Tide (15-7, 4-4 SEC) having won six of the last 10 meetings, despite being swept last year.

In fact, the Tigers have never beaten Alabama in Auburn Arena. Granted, they are 0-1.

The suspension of Alabama forward Tony Mitchell plays a huge factor in the game. Mitchell averages 13.1 points and 7 rebounds a game.

The suspension could be up a substantial lift for the Tigers, who are coming off a 91-88 loss to No. 18 Mississippi State.

There are several keys that will lead to Auburn winning Tuesday night.

After being injured against Arkansas, guard Varez Ward has scored 20-plus points in the last three games off the bench.

Ward has picked up the slack where guard Frankie Sullivan has slumped.

However, after scoring 16 against Mississippi State Saturday, Sullivan may come out shooting well against Alabama as well.

Alabama has another player to be concerned with: forward Kenny Gabriel.

In the past three games, Gabriel has averaged 17 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots.

Within the last seven days, Auburn has proven it can be a competitive team in the SEC in different ways.

Last Wednesday, Auburn closed a game strong, defeating Georgia 59-51. That had been a problem for most of its SEC play.

Saturday, Auburn played Mississippi State down to the final minutes of the game on the road.

While the Tigers have yet to win an SEC game, it showed the improvements Auburn has made this season.

A win against Alabama would send Auburn to Ole Miss Saturday with the momentum to achieve more wins in the SEC this year than last year.

Tonight's game tips off at 8 p.m. (CST) and can be viewed on the ESPNU.