Alabama gets one more tune-up before the 2026-27 season starts, and the opponent brings a familiar edge. The Crimson Tide and Auburn meet Thursday night at Legacy Arena in a preseason exhibition dubbed “The Feud,” the final test before the games start counting for real.
The Crimson Tide enters at No. 20 in the AP Top 25, giving Nate Oats and his team a sixth straight preseason in the poll. Auburn did not crack the rankings, though it did receive the 14th-most votes among the 19 teams that fell just short.
Alabama has already gone 2-0 in exhibition play, but the roster remains a little thin in the backcourt. The Tide did not have four guards available for the Furman and Ole Miss scrimmages: Aden Holloway, Anderson Diaz, Jaxon Richardson and Preston Murphy Jr.
Holloway is still out while serving a suspension and is not expected back until Alabama’s third regular-season game against Oakland. Diaz will also miss Thursday’s matchup. Oats said on Oct. 8 that the freshman would be out for about a month because of an elbow injury, which would also line up with a return against Oakland if the timetable holds.
Richardson has been sidelined by an illness and also is dealing with undisclosed minor injuries. Oats said at SEC Tipoff on Oct.
13: "Hopefully he's back by the first real game, if not sooner." Murphy is working through an upper body injury.
Game Central is set to be updated if either player is able to suit up.
The rivalry history still tilts heavily toward Alabama. The Crimson Tide leads the all-time series 103-69, dating back to the first meeting on Feb.
28, 1924. Alabama has won the last three meetings, though this exhibition does not count in the official record.
In neutral-site games, the two programs are even at 12-12.
The most recent meeting came in the regular-season finale on March 7, when Alabama beat Auburn 96-84 at home. That win locked up the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament for the Crimson Tide, which had to win to break a tie with Arkansas in the conference standings.
Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon Jr. each scored 21 points, and Alabama controlled the lane all night, outscoring Auburn 58-32 in the paint. The Tide also dominated the glass, finishing with a 42-28 rebounding edge and 19 offensive boards that turned into 24 second-chance points.
Thursday’s exhibition will be streamed for free on Knight Eady’s YouTube channel, with Karl Ravech on play-by-play alongside analysts Daymeon Fishback and Richard Hendrix. On the radio side, the Crimson Tide Sports Network will carry the game with Chris Stewart, Bryan Passink and Roger Hoover, and the pregame show begins one hour before tipoff.
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