What ESPN's Seth Greenberg, LaPhonso Ellis think Auburn basketball must do to beat Alabama

AUBURN — Auburn basketball has the difficult task of welcoming No. 3 Alabama to Neville Arena on Saturday (1 p.m. CT, ESPN), but it's also an opportunity to bolster its resume and pick up a signature win, something that's escaped the Tigers so far this season.

The Crimson Tide (21-3, 11-0) has rolled through the SEC, beating conference foes by an average of more than 22 points per game. Alabama has connected on 253 triples this season, which paces the SEC, and has the No. 2 3-point defense in the country, behind only Tennessee.

With such a stiff test awaiting Auburn (17-7, 7-4), here's what ESPN "College GameDay" analysts Seth Greenberg and LaPhonso Ellis said the Tigers must do to compete. "College GameDay" will be in Neville Arena on Saturday, airing from 10-11 a.m.

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"They've got to be able to compete offensively against Alabama's defense," Greenberg said Friday in a media availability. "Everyone talks about competing, and we don't talk about competing offensively. That means getting the shot you want, it means (being) strong with the ball, not turning the ball over. That means attacking in transition and reading advantage/disadvantage. That's the first thing because Alabama's got an elite, elite defense.

"(The Crimson Tide has) four legitimate big guys, great length. They are really connected. They do a great job protecting the rim, so it's going to be really important for Auburn to take care of the basketball (and) get good shots because a bad shot is like a turnover and (that) opens up the floor for transition, so that's first and foremost."

Greenberg, a two-time ACC coach of the year at Virginia Tech, also said the Tigers need to be physical defensively and figure out how to "guard all those drag screens with Brandon Miller." Miller is scoring an SEC-leading 19 points per game.

Ellis thinks keeping the Crimson Tide from transition opportunities will be huge, too, because of Alabama's prowess from beyond the 3-point arc. He also explained that, offensively, Wendell Green Jr. needs to make some shots from the perimeter to open up space for Johni Broome, who Ellis said is "just hard to guard down there one-on-one against anybody."

The expected raucous environment provided by The Jungle is also something Ellis thinks could be a factor against an Alabama team that features a few key freshmen in its rotation.

"If Auburn can keep it close early, now all of a sudden your fans are involved (and) that starts to put a little pressure on the opposing team, regardless of how good they are," Ellis said. "... Home court advantage is real. And the energy, the electricity in the building at Auburn (is) again second to none.

"I think it's going to be a huge advantage for Auburn tomorrow."

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn basketball vs Alabama: What Seth Greenberg, LaPhonso Ellis said