If you walk into Auburn men’s basketball’s locker room, you’ll see a large sign with the AU crest, and under that crest you’ll see two words.

“Make history.”

Regardless of result, that’s happening Saturday as Auburn and Alabama will meet in the latest chapter of the burgeoning Iron Bowl of Basketball rivalry, this time as the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked teams in the country, creating the first ever No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup in Southeastern Conference men’s basketball history.

“If you would try and predict who would be in that matchup,” Bruce Peal said during his Thursday news conference, “I don’t think many people would have picked Auburn and Alabama to be those teams.

“And yet, since 17-18, Alabama and Auburn have won eight championships — And so the championships in the SEC I guess over the last eight years run through the state of Alabama.”

The two programs, led by Pearl and Alabama head coach Nate Oats, have risen to the top of not just the SEC, but the entire world of college basketball.

Alabama is coming off a Final Four appearance last season and a No. 2 ranking in this year’s preseason poll. The Tide followed that up by getting off to a 21-3 start, rising back to the No. 2 spot before arguably the biggest regular season game in program history.

Auburn had more to prove coming into the 2024-2025 season. The Tigers’ postseason ended early last year, losing to Yale in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after winning the SEC Tournament.

That led to a No. 11 ranking to start the season, but a dominant run through the toughest non-conference schedule in school history and a hot start to SEC play led Auburn to holding the No. 1 spot for the longest stretch in program history.

Playing in a No. 1 versus No. 2 game is familiar territory for Pearl, leading No. 2 Tennessee against a John Calipari-coached, No. 1-ranked Memphis team in 2008, a game Pearl’s group won 66-62.

“It was 1 vs. 2 in Memphis, Tennessee, with two teams from Tennessee — It’s very similar now, “Pearl said. ”The thing I was proud about then is that it wasn’t at Chapel Hill or Durham or Phog Allen or Pauley Pavilion or up at Michigan State — it was in the state of Tennessee — same thing here, this game is in the state of Alabama. Obviously, that’s very, very significant.”

This time around, Pearl’s team is the one with the No. 1 beside its name, a position his group was fighting for in 2008. Pearl said he doesn’t know that the same things that applied to his team for that game apply now, but said Auburn is approaching the game like any other, a line every coach will tell you before a big game.

For the Auburn players from the state of Alabama, the game also carries extra meaning. Denver Jones, a veteran guard who grew up in the north Alabama town of New Market, said the game “means a lot.”

Being raised in a house that had both Alabama and Auburn fans, the rivalry has always been close to Jones, and Saturday he’ll be a part of its biggest chapter yet on the hardwood.

“It’s just going to be a great environment,” Jones said Thursday. “It’s a blessing to be able to play in a 1 vs. 2 matchup.”

Chaney Johnson laughed when a reporter asked if he ever predicted that he’d play in a No. 1 versus No. 2 game. The senior from Alabaster is having the best season of his Auburn career, but never imagined he’d play in a game of this magnitude against Alabama.

A graduate of Thompson High School and a former star at Division II Alabama-Huntsville, Johnson couldn’t hold back a smile when talking about the significance of the game, looking forward to playing in the biggest college basketball game in the history of his home state.

“I mean, 1 vs. 2 — it’s gonna be a big game, and also being able to play in Coleman… Last year, it was hostile. This year, it’s probably gonna be sold out,” Johnson said. “The crowd is going to be going crazy. So, it’s going to be big for us to get locked in. I think we’re capable of doing that.”

In the here and now, the game will help decide who wins the SEC regular season title and who might take the No. 1 overall seed on Selection Sunday in March. An Auburn win would put the Tigers alone atop the SEC standings, holding a one-game lead and the tiebreaker over the Crimson Tide until the two teams play again in Neville Arena on March 8.

Long beyond when the buzzer sounds on Saturday, though, the game stands as a landmark moment for basketball in the state of Alabama, and a rivalry that is slowly developing the fierce vitriol on the hardwood that it has long carried on the gridiron.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m