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Auburn, Alabama ready for first No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown since '21

NCAA Basketball: Auburn at VanderbiltFeb 11, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Auburn Tigers forward Johni Broome (4) shoots over Vanderbilt Commodores forward Jaylen Carey (22) during the second half at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

For all the poetic ways he could have described his team’s impending clash with Auburn, Alabama coach Nate Oats kept it simple.

“This could be the best game in all of college basketball all year,” he told CBS Sports.

Don’t believe him?

Saturday’s contest in Tuscaloosa, Ala., will mark college basketball’s first regular-season No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in more than three years and the first such occasion between two Southeastern Conference schools.

The top-ranked Tigers (22-2, 10-1 SEC) and the No. 2 Crimson Tide (21-3, 10-1) run two of the game’s top offenses, and each team has flourished within a conference that is widely regarded as the strongest in the nation.

It isn’t far-fetched to envision these rivals facing off in early April, and the buildup for this historic matchup has generated plenty of excitement that should make Saturday’s affair feel like a Final Four battle.

“To maybe have the best basketball conference possibly ever, at some point you’d hope the two best teams in the poll end up in the SEC and at that time end up playing each other,” Oats told CBS Sports. “Now, on top of it all, they happen to be from the same state and are big rivals.”

While this will be the first 1-vs.-2 matchup for Oats, who started at Alabama in 2019, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl has been here before. The former Tennessee head man guided his second-ranked Volunteers to a four-point win over No. 1 Memphis back on Feb. 23, 2008.

The Tigers have split 20 regular-season games against the Crimson Tide since Pearl arrived in 2014. Pearl has gone 4-6 against Oats, but the longtime SEC coach knows Saturday’s contest is for more than just bragging rights.

“Alabama was my rival the minute I put the Auburn jacket on,” said Pearl, per CBS Sports. “But now it has national implications instead of just pride of the state. … It’s never been this.”

Their respective squads have had little trouble putting up points this season.

Alabama paces the country with 90.5 points per game entering Thursday, while Auburn’s 84.8 scoring average is tied for eighth in Division I.

The teams also boast the two highest offensive ratings per KenPom.com, with the Tigers (131 points per 100 possessions) slightly more efficient than the Crimson Tide (127.2 per 100).

Both offenses feature a host of capable scorers led by a top-20 candidate for the Wooden Award.

Auburn forward Johni Broome tallies 18.1 points per game to pace six Tigers who average double figures, while Alabama guard Mark Sears nets 17.8 per contest ahead of four others who also contribute 10-plus points.

Chaney Johnson (10.2 ppg) has sparked Auburn off the bench over the Tigers’ last three games, averaging 15.3 points on 76 percent shooting. The forward made 9 of 10 field-goal attempts and finished with 20 points in Tuesday’s 80-68 win at Vanderbilt.

“He’s powerful, quick, explosive and has a really good touch,” Pearl said of Johnson. “… Chaney can really shoot it. I’ve got to do a better job of getting him some looks on the outside, which will help open up his game even more.”

The Crimson Tide got a career-high 22 points from sophomore Jarin Stevenson (5.5 ppg) Tuesday night in their 103-80 road rout of Texas. Sears added 18 points, as did former Auburn guard Aden Holloway (11.8 ppg) for Alabama in its seventh straight win.

Auburn has a more recent loss, a 90-81 setback to then-No. 6 Florida last Saturday. But when asked Tuesday whether the Crimson Tide are the best team in the country, Oats seemed content on waiting a few more days to give a definite answer.

“We’ll see Saturday,” he said.

–Field Level Media

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Ali Sanchez's first homer helps Yankees complete rally vs. White Sox

Jul 27, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Spencer Jones (78) hits an RBI-ground out against the Chicago White Sox during the fourth inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesJul 27, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Spencer Jones (78) hits an RBI-ground out against the Chicago White Sox during the fourth inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Jazz Chisholm Jr. had two hits and two RBIs and Ali Sanchez blasted his first major league homer in the eighth inning to break the game open as the visiting New York Yankees defeated the Chicago White Sox 9-5 on Monday.

New York overcame an early three-run deficit for its fourth win in five games. The Yankees moved within 2 1/2 games of the idle Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the American League East.

AL Central-leading Chicago committed three errors as its lead over the second-place Cleveland Guardians fell to two games. The White Sox have lost three of their past four.

The Yankees scored a total of five runs in the seventh and eighth innings and navigated two errors in the ninth to hold on.

Ben Rice delivered a go-ahead single in the seventh, and New York maintained the lead in the bottom half when Colson Montgomery was erased at the plate while trying to score on a Chase Meidroth double.

Chisholm had a bunt single in the eighth that resulted in a run thanks to a throwing error. He scored when Sanchez connected against Sean Newcomb for a three-run shot three batters later. Sanchez was playing in his 75th major league game with six teams across five seasons.

Montgomery went 3-for-4 with two RBIs.

Jasson Dominguez and Rice contributed two hits each for New York.

Brent Headrick (6-1) delivered 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the victory. David Bednar entered with runners on the corners and two outs in the ninth, and he fanned Meidroth to notch his 21st save.

Chicago reliever Bryan Hudson (3-4) allowed one run and two hits in the seventh.

The White Sox stormed to a 3-0 lead in the first inning against Yankees starter Max Fried. Colson Montgomery drove in the game’s first run with a single, and Meidroth added a sacrifice fly before Braden Montgomery punctuated the rally with an RBI triple.

White Sox rookie left-hander Noah Schultz retired the next six Yankees before control issues prompted an early exit. New York opened the fourth with two walks and a single to load the bases. Schultz departed after Anthony Volpe produced an RBI groundout but was charged with two more runs when Chisholm greeted reliever Chris Murphy with a double to right-center.

Chisholm scored the go-ahead run on a Spencer Jones groundout, but Chicago tied the game at 4-all in the fifth on an RBI single from Colson Montgomery.

Schultz permitted three runs and two hits in 3 1/3 innings with two walks and five strikeouts. Fried allowed three runs and five hits in three innings, walking two and striking out four.

–Field Level Media

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ATP roundup: Terence Atmane upsets Frances Tiafoe in Washington

Jul 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Terence Atmane (FRA) hits a backhand against Frances Tiafoe (USA) (not pictured) on day one of the Mubadala DC Open 2026 at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn ImagesJul 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Terence Atmane (FRA) hits a backhand against Frances Tiafoe (USA) (not pictured) on day one of the Mubadala DC Open 2026 at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

France’s Terence Atmane avenged a first-round Wimbledon loss to Frances Tiafoe, prevailing 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Monday in the first round of the Mubadala DC Open in Washington.

Tiafoe, a Washington-area native, was the tournament’s sixth seed.

Atmane got the decisive service break in the next-to-last game, then served out the match.

Earlier in the day, third-seeded Taylor Fritz swept his service games and rolled to a 6-3, 6-4 win over Belgium’s Zizou Bergs.

Fritz saved all four break points he faced while converting two of his four break opportunities. The California native was playing his first match since losing in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon to Germany’s Alexander Zverev.

Fourth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti won an all-Italian matchup when Matteo Arnaldi retired while trailing 6-0, 3-1. Musetti was returning from injury issues that kept him out since early May.

Also advancing to the second round were Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic, Japan’s Kei Nishikori and Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo.

Mifel Tennis Open

Australia’s Bernard Tomic was nearly perfect in the first round at Los Cabos, Mexico, powering to a 6-1, 6-0 win over Mexico’s Alex Hernandez.

Hernandez, a 27-year-old qualifier who is ranked No. 498 in the world, held serve while trailing 5-0 in the first set to avoid a double bagel. Tomic, a 33-year-old who is ranked 171st, made the main draw as a lucky loser from qualifying.

In other first-round action, U.S. qualifier Tristan Boyer downed Canada’s Gabriel Diallo 7-5, 6-2. The night slate included fifth-seeded Cameron Norrie of the United Kingdom facing Aleksandar Kovacevic, and Hong Kong’s Chak Lam Coleman Wong opposing Darwin Blanch.

–Field Level Media

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WTA roundup: Former DC champ Liudmila Samsonova wins opener

Jul 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Liudmila Samsonova celebrates after her match against Madison Keys (USA) (not pictured) on day one of the Mubadala DC Open 2026 at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn ImagesJul 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Liudmila Samsonova celebrates after her match against Madison Keys (USA) (not pictured) on day one of the Mubadala DC Open 2026 at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Liudmila Samsonova, the 2022 Mubadala DC Open champion, enjoyed her return to Washington on Monday, beating sixth-seeded Madison Keys 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the first round.

The Russian withstood 10 aces from Keys by winning 80% of her first-serve points (35 of 44).

It was a less stressful day for other seeded players, as eighth-seeded Emma Navarro defeated Sofia Kenin 6-3, 7-5 and seventh-seeded Leylah Fernandez of Canada controlled Poland’s Magda Linette 6-1, 6-4.

Other winners on Monday were Ashlyn Krueger, Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Indonesia’s Janice Tjen.

Memphis Classic

Katie Volynets battled for a 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (3) upset win against third-seeded Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland in first-round action at Memphis.

Volynets rallied after losing the first three games of the final set. Golubic was hurt by committing eight double faults without serving an ace in the match.

The only other seeded player in action, fifth-seeded Camila Osorio of Colombia, defeated Australian qualifier Storm Hunter 7-5, 7-5. Osorio prevailed on 76% (26 of 34) of her first-serve points.

Other Monday winners were Australia’s Maya Joint, Russia’s Anastasia Zakharova and Tatiana Prozorova, Germany’s Tatjana Maria and Belarus’ Iryna Shymanovich.

–Field Level Media

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