What the heck is going on here?
Two shootout contests?
A Tiger Paws routine?
Ten minutes of American Top 40 music?
What?
This was supposed to be halftime of the Auburn-Alabama game, not Auburn-Missouri State.
Something else usually happens in the 20 minutes between the first and second half of this rivalry at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.
Something big.
Something Auburn’s become accustomed to.
Something Tiger fans come out in droves to see.
But not Saturday.
Not this year.
For the previous six years, the Iron Bowl of roundball has been about football.
It’s been about the James E. Foy-ODK Sportsmanship Award — the Iron Bowl trophy.
It’s been about Auburn football players taking center stage on the basketball court.
It’s been about 8,000-plus fans showing up to razz Alabama’s absent football team.
It’s been about those same fans showing up to hear Dean James Foy scream War Eagle at the top of his lungs.
It’s been about celebrating Auburn’s Iron Bowl victory at every possible moment.
It’s been about football. Always about football.
But not Saturday.
Not this time.
Auburn doesn’t get the trophy this year … the first time since the 2001-2002 basketball season. Remember 36-0?
Remember the Beatdown in T-Town?
Of course you do.
And for that, Alabama gets the trophy. It also has the pleasure of hearing the Auburn University SGA president sing the Crimson Tide fight song at the Capstone on March 3 … an ESPN game.
There, it will be about football as well.
But Saturday, in Auburn, it was just about basketball.
Sure, football is and will always be relevant — and present — as Gene Chizik had his weekend recruits checking out a little hoops Saturday afternoon.
Why?
Because it was the only game in town.
Not football.
Not Saturday.
It was about basketball.
It was about Tay Waller going unconscious and hitting everything beyond 20 feet, 9 inches.
It was about a 7-point Auburn possession.
It was about 8,788 fans at Beard-Eaves on their feet.
It was about that same amount of fans staying until the end of the 85-71 blowout just to feel good about beating (or just scoring against) Alabama in a sporting event this athletic year.
It was about Jeff Lebo getting the better of Mark Gottfried (again … four out of the last five).
It was about basketball … Auburn basketball.
Huh?
What the heck is going on here?
MIKE SZVETITZ is sports editor of the Opelika-Auburn News. He may be reached at mszvetitz@oanow.com or 737-2513.
Read Mike Szvetitz's blog here.
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