Your choice, same price: Alabama-Auburn basketball courtside ticket or six Iron Bowls | Goodbread

AUBURN — A light rain fell from dreary skies outside the main entrance at Neville Arena on Saturday, about an hour before the show, where two fans were hoping to score a seat inside. Each held a lonely forefinger in the air.

Every few minutes, they'd lower a tired arm.

A scalper walked by in a poncho, but couldn't cash in without acquiring some inventory first, carrying a sign that said "I need tickets." It was unquestionably a seller's market for the hottest ticket of the SEC basketball weekend, where Alabama (22-3, 12-0 SEC) outlasted the Tigers 77-69 after overcoming an early 16-8 deficit.

Sellers were scarce, and those who had tickets for sale didn't have to worry much about being undercut by the competition. Signs with the words "sold out" were taped all over the ticket windows, repelling anyone with a thought that Auburn might still have a pair.

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This is supposed to be a football state, right?

You wouldn't have known it here.

ESPN's "College GameDay" blared pregame hype through amplifiers in front of the arena, stoking anticipation for the arrival of the No. 3-ranked Crimson Tide. On Thursday night, a day-and-a-half before tipoff, tents of various colors and sizes began popping up along a path adjacent to the arena, where students camped out to ensure their place in the house. Two full hours before tipoff, the student section was jam-packed. They greeted Alabama star freshman Brandon Miller with a chorus of jeers the moment he took the floor for warm-ups. Miller would later get away with a push-off to get himself free for a layup with 7:02 left in the first half, and the collective outrage of the home crowd could've blown a hole through the roof.

"Everything they say about Auburn's crowd, it's true," said Alabama freshman Rylan Griffen, who came off the bench to lead the team in scoring with 16 points.

One can only imagine the fever had this Alabama team, probably its most talented ever, been matched against last year's more dominant Auburn team, which went 28-6.

Online, demand for UA-AU hoops tickets was also red-lining the needle. Fifteen minutes before the game began, only 44 seats in the 9,121-seat facility remained available at Stubhub.com, none cheaper than $120. As late as Friday night, a seller with courtside seats on the floor, in section FL-P, was asking $800 each. You could probably get into the next six Iron Bowls for that much, if you're willing to sit in the upper decks. The get-in price for Alabama's 49-27 football win over Auburn last November, albeit in an awful season for the Tigers, was only about $100.

The show justified the demand.

After Alabama recovered from a slow start, the rivals bitterly traded baskets in a tight game until the Crimson Tide pulled away in the closing minutes. Alabama was cold from 3-point range, but exploited Auburn's relentless perimeter defense by slashing to the rim for an assortment of layups, rim-rocking dunks, and a 44-20 advantage in points in the paint. Even timeouts offered a thrill, when an Auburn student won a car by holing a 94-foot putt from one baseline to the other.

"I'll say this, the environment here, with (fans) right on the court and the students right there (up front), I think this is the toughest environment to play in," said Alabama coach Nate Oats.

Tough to play in.

And even tougher to get in.

Reach Chase Goodbread at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @chasegoodbread.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball vs Auburn tickets courtside cost equal 6 Iron Bowls