---
title: "Alabama Edges Auburn 87-85 in Exhibition Feud in Birmingham"
url: https://www.herebirmingham.com/2026/10/23/alabama-edges-auburn-87-85-feud-exhibition-birmingham/
date: 2026-10-23T05:33:54-05:00
modified: 2026-10-23T06:07:40-05:00
author: "Gene C. Mitchell"
categories: ["Sports"]
site: "HERE Birmingham"
attribution: "HERE Birmingham"
---

# Alabama Edges Auburn 87-85 in Exhibition Feud in Birmingham

> BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama won the first exhibition meeting of its men's basketball rivalry with Auburn on Thursday night in Birmingham, holding on 87-85 at Legacy Arena at the BJCC in the game billed as The Feud. The result will not appear on either team's official record, but the night had plenty of edge. Two

*Source: [HERE Birmingham](https://www.herebirmingham.com/2026/10/23/alabama-edges-auburn-87-85-feud-exhibition-birmingham/) — October 23, 2026 by Gene C. Mitchell*

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama won the first exhibition meeting of its men’s basketball rivalry with Auburn on Thursday night in Birmingham, holding on 87-85 at Legacy Arena at the BJCC in the game billed as The Feud.

The result will not appear on either team’s official record, but the night had plenty of edge. Two players from each side were hit with technical fouls after a scramble for a loose ball in the first half, and Auburn grabbed a six-point lead at 31-25 before the Crimson Tide climbed back to take a 44-41 edge at the break.

Amari Allen led Alabama with 23 points, scoring most of them after halftime, and Qayden Samuels added enough to give the pair 43 combined. Alabama won the battle inside, scoring 12 more points than Auburn in the paint, and turned 17 Tiger turnovers into 16 points. Auburn guard Kevin Overton finished with a game-high 26 points behind six made three-pointers.

Rebounding stayed a sore spot for the Tide, which allowed 22 offensive boards. Auburn came into the night needing answers of its own on the glass after Florida State outrebounded the Tigers 51-40 in their earlier exhibition, a loss that pushed coach Steven Pearl to question his frontcourt’s toughness.

Alabama, coached by Nate Oats, closes the preseason unbeaten at 3-0 after earlier wins over Furman and Ole Miss. The two programs will see each other twice more once SEC play begins, and those games will count in the standings. For Birmingham, it was a neutral-site rivalry night, played months before conference season.