TUSCALOOSA — As Ole Miss guard Terrico White’s shot rose near the rim, Alonzo Gee’s heart sank.

The smirk on his face and the chuckles in between each phrase couldn’t stop Rasheem Barrett from unleashing some playful smack-talk earlier this week.

Coming off a blowout loss last weekend, this SEC West contender will try to bounce back in Tuscaloosa without its best player.

Perhaps trying a bit too hard to praise the victor, Alabama coach Mark Gottfried described Auburn’s play Saturday as “nearly flawless.”

What the heck is going on here?

Just in case you were late to Saturday’s Auburn-Alabama game and missed the first five minutes, the Crimson Tide gave an instant replay to start the second half.

At his Thursday meeting with the media, Jeff Lebo said he was preparing his team as if Alabama point guard Ronald Steele would be active for the first matchup between the inter-state rivals.

The temperatures hovered in the 30s and plenty of reliable transportation was available, but Quantez Robertson chose to walk off the pain of Wednesday’s crushing defeat.