This Alabama basketball team’s checked a high percentage of boxes this season.

They’ve beaten a few No. 1 teams, pantsed powerhouse Kentucky and have a 22.3-point average margin of victory starting 11-0 in SEC play.

A Saturday trip to Auburn presents another opportunity — a box that hasn’t been completely checked in a while. It’s been eight years since the Crimson Tide silenced a packed Neville Arena with a rivalry win. Since winning in 2015, the only other Alabama win in the 9,121-seat facility came with COVID-reduced capacity in the 2020-21 season, 94-90.

So, the 1 p.m. CT Saturday trip southeast will present an opportunity at a unique crossroad.

Third-ranked Alabama (21-3, 11-0 SEC) is riding high after blowout wins over Vanderbilt, LSU and Florida.

Auburn (17-7, 7-4) lost four of its last five after climbing as high as No. 11 in the polls.

That skid included a 79-63 loss to Texas A&M that ended a 28-game home winning streak back on Jan. 25. None of that seems to have tempered the enthusiasm as students have camped out all week for prime seats in what’s always among the more hostile environments nationally.

“The decibel level is ridiculous when you’re playing inside their arena,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said.

For a young Alabama team, only a few have experienced Neville Arena. Those who have will remember that brutal 100-81 beating from then-No. 1 Auburn last Feb. 1 when Alabama freshmen Brandon Miller and Rylan Griffen were still in high school.

Griffen, who like Miller, was recruited by Auburn, said he just plans to “tune out the crowd” when the ball tips for the ESPN-televised game.

“At the end of the day, you have to play the game and it’s played on the court, not in the stands,” he said. “It doesn’t really matter, home or away. The only difference is probably you’re not sleeping in your own bed the night before but, on the court, it’s the same court here and there.”

Miller, the leading scorer in the SEC who’s been known to feed off hostility, enjoys the silence they’ve created in road wins at No. 1 Houston and Arkansas. Big shots in big moments do just that.

“It’s definitely a stress reliever,” Miller said. “I feel like once you win away, I feel like the crowd can’t really say anything to you. I feel like we’ll be fine at Auburn with or without this hostile crowd. It’s all about us staying together and being leaders, really.”

Two of Alabama’s losses came in neutral-site games with the other being the surprising 93-69 blowout at Oklahoma three weeks ago. Oats pointed to the positive experiences like in Houston, Fayetteville and Missouri.

Oats’ teams are 1-2 at Auburn.

“It wasn’t really our fault they didn’t have a crowd over there the second year,” he said. “I’m not sure it would have made a big difference or not with the team we had that year but it’s loud. They have great crowds and a nice arena for college basketball. They put the students right on the top of the floor, which is great for college basketball.”

The 2020-21 Alabama team went on to win the SEC after the 94-90 win at Auburn. The Tigers finished 13-14. Last year, the 19-point Tiger win over Alabama was their 18th straight win thanks to a 22-6 second-half run that overwhelmed a flawed Tide roster.

“I like playing in the arena,” Oats said. “I mean, as far as getting a college atmosphere. It makes it tough for your guys. It’s loud to call out sets. You have a hard time hearing anything in there but I think their crowd has something to do with it but their players and team have something to do with it. I mean, they won the SEC last year so it’s not like you’re just going into a crowd, they have a good team.”

Auburn’s been struggling lately, though. After racing to a 16-3 record, only one of the four losses in five games came to a ranked opponent. That 46-43 loss at Tennessee last Saturday saw Auburn’s lowest scoring output since 2014.

Still, this will be a game that follows a live broadcast of ESPN College GameDay in Neville Arena. That isn’t in Griffen’s head as he makes his first trip to Auburn.

“Yeah, I’m not even going to lie,” the freshman from Dallas said, “I don’t even wake up in time to watch College GameDay. I won’t be watching it and that’s not going to change tomorrow.”

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.