Who said 13 was an unlucky number? No one paying attention to the Alabama football team or the Auburn basketball team.
The Crimson Tide trailed Georgia by 13 points twice Monday night, only to come from behind to win the National Championship Game in overtime. The comeback was led by true freshman backup quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
What number does he wear? No. 13.
The next night, the Tigers overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to beat Ole Miss by 15 to improve to - I am not making this up - 15-1 on the season. The key number: It was Auburn's 13th straight victory, the second-longest streak in the country at the moment and the longest for the program since the 1999-2000 season.
The Tigers were led by Presbyterian College transfer Desean Murray with 16 points. What number does he wear? No. 13.
Sounds pretty lucky to me.
Nothing quite compares to winning a national championship in football in this state, but Alabama's done it five times in the last nine years. As hard as the road was this time, Nick Saban holding a trophy after the season's final game shocked no one.
Bruce Pearl holding court after No. 22 Auburn improved to 15-1 overall - can't say that enough - and 3-0 in the SEC for the first time since 2003 was not a sight anyone expected to see when this season began. Not after a nationwide FBI probe of college basketball cost the Tigers associate head coach Chuck Person along with starters Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy.
Person was dismissed from the program for his alleged role in a bribery and conspiracy scheme. Because they and their families allegedly played smaller roles in the same scheme, Wiley and Purifoy haven't played this season.
The NCAA provided clarity on Wiley's situation only Thursday, ruling in a reinstatement decision that he can't play for Auburn until next season. According to the NCAA, "Auburn self-reported violations involving recruiting, extra benefits and agent-related activity."
That likely means, short of a successful appeal, Wiley's college career is done and he'll declare for the 2018 NBA Draft. It's unclear what the implications will be for the Auburn program, but it has to be a major concern. It increases the urgency for the Tigers to make the most of this season, which is exactly what they've done.
You think it's hard winning the college football national championship after getting hit in the mouth by Georgia and trailing the Dawgs by 13 points? Try winning 13 straight college basketball games after getting punched in the throat by the FBI.
Alabama football has a foundation built to withstand adversity. Auburn basketball has a deserved reputation as one of the hardest places to win in the SEC, which makes its season to date all the more remarkable.
The last time the Auburn basketball team lost a game, it was Nov. 17 against Temple in the Charleston Classic. How long ago was that? The Alabama football team was a week away from an unsuccessful trip to the Plains for the Iron Bowl.
Need more perspective? The Auburn football team, which finished the season as SEC West champs at No. 10 in the AP poll, has lost two games since the Auburn basketball team last lost at all.
How have Pearl's Tigers done it? How have they gotten to 15-1 without their most experienced assistant coach and two of their more valuable players? How much time do you have?
All those things Auburn didn't do well all that often during Pearl's first three seasons on the Plains, like playing together, playing defense and rebounding, have become strengths by committee.
No one averages more than Mustapha Heron's 15.8 points a game, but Auburn leads the SEC in scoring at 87.2 points a game. No one averages more than Murray's 7.4 rebounds a game, but Auburn is second in the league with 41.6 rebounds a game.
Auburn leads the SEC in nine different statistical categories and is ranked in the top 20 nationally in eight categories. Look at the numbers, and it's no surprise the Tigers are tied for first nationally with their 93.8 winning percentage.
Look at how they're doing it and the roster they're doing it with - without a senior in the nine-deep regular rotation - and there's no question Pearl's doing his best coaching job on the Plains.
All he has to do is keep it up for a couple more months, now knowing Wiley's not coming back this season.
Given the depth of the SEC this season, it's a long way from here to Selection Sunday. It'll take a continued group effort for Auburn to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003.
That said, Joe Lunardi's latest ESPN bracketology has Auburn as a No. 5 NCAA Tournament seed. No team in college basketball has been more of a pleasant surprise to this point than the Tigers. It takes a special basketball team to get noticed in this state after another Alabama football title.
Auburn is becoming that team.
from Auburn Sports Impact http://bit.ly/2qYRGHy
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