The Jungle serenaded Charles Bediako with “G League dropout” amid his ongoing eligibility case, but it was former Auburn guard Aden Holloway who helped Bediako and the Crimson Tide notch the last laugh in Saturday’s Iron Bowl of Basketball. Alabama knocked off Auburn 96-92 behind nine straight points from Holloway in the final three minutes.
Holloway, who jumped into enemy lines when he transferred from Auburn to Alabama ahead of the 2023-24 season, delivered the dagger with a four-point play right in front of Auburn’s raucous student section.
The road team has now won each of the past three iterations of the Iron Bowl of Basketball.
For Alabama, it’s a coming-of-age caliber of victory for a team that has not played 40 good minutes just once in the past month or so with injuries eliminating any ounce of lineup continuity and the Bediako debacle looming over each day.
Bediako was in court Friday for his lawsuit against the NCAA, but since Tuscaloosa Circuit Court Judge Daniel Pruet didn’t deliver a ruling, he was allowed to suit up for Alabama for at least one more day. The 7-footer came off the bench and delivered 12 points and three boards in 22 minutes, just over 24 hours after listening to the NCAA lawyers argue for him to be barred from college basketball.
“If we’re being intellectually honest, it’s about money,” NCAA lawyer Taylor Askew argued in Friday’s hearing as a rebuttal to Bediako’s representatives’ claim that his client would lose out on basketball and educational opportunities if Bediako’s temporary injunction for the rest of the year was not approved.
Alabama’s March Madness upside is certainly lower without Bediako, because Saturday showed what the Tide is capable of if they can keep Bediako in the lineup and start to gel.
Future NBA lead guard Labaron Philon delivered a brilliant 25-point, six-assist, five-rebound showing. Future NBA wing Amari Allen was awesome, burying three triples and finishing with 17 points. Add in a former professional center in Bediako, and Alabama has three pros at three different positions. Oh, and Holloway. Oh, and Houston Mallette is one of many Alabama snipers who can have a big day as well. He canned two massive triples at the end of the first half to help erase Auburn’s 10-point advantage.
The Jungle gave Alabama its best growl, but Alabama’s showing spoke volumes.
“They were pretty quiet when we left today,” Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats said.
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