ESPN's Jay Williams: Defense, guard play is why Alabama can win national title this season

ESPN is on-hand for a showdown between two top teams in college basketball on Saturday afternoon, with the No. 1-ranked Auburn Tigers facing the No. 2-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in a doozy of an SEC showdown.

Ahead of the game, Jay Williams of College GameDay provided some insight into how Alabama can win the national title this season. The Crimson Tide are one of the favorites to get the job done, and when you truly evaluate their squad, it’s easy to see why.

“Look, it at all the starts with defense,” Williams stated. “Alabama, with their guard play, is very stingy defensively in the pace of the game. But as I say, guards win championships.

“It comes down to getting hot at the right time. They average ten made threes per game. They all can shoot the ball at a high clip. Their guards can get into those stop-gaps. It’s going to open up a can of worms for them.”

All told, Saturday’s game will be a huge test for both teams, as No. 2 Alabama (21-3, 10-1 SEC) will host No. 1 Auburn (22-2, 10-1) at 4 pm ET from Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. It’s the 11th meeting between Oats and longtime Tigers coach Bruce Pearl, with Oats and the Crimson Tide holding a 6-5 advantage in the Iron Bowl of basketball rivalry series over the past five seasons.

The Crimson Tide are the hottest team in the SEC. They’ve won seven straight, and their record is currently 21-3, and 10-1 within the conference. Their last loss came back on Jan. 14 to Ole Miss, so they’ll be hoping to keep the good times rolling against Auburn.

If they’re able to come away victorious, Alabama might become the popular choice to lift the trophy at the end of the season. It’s a long ways away, but the Crimson Tide are certainly trending in the right direction at the moment, and Jay Williams is a believer.

More on the Alabama Crimson Tide, showdown with Auburn on Saturday

Meanwhile, Alabama freshman Derrion Reid is expected to be available for Saturday’s blockbuster matchup against Auburn, Nate Oats told Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman.

Reid has been dealing with a leg injury since Feb. 1, which has kept him out of action for the past two weeks. He’s averaging 7.2 points for the Crimson Tide this season.

On Friday, Oats updated the status of Reid before the matchup between the No. 1 Tigers vs. No. 2 Crimson Tide.

“We’ll see how he looks tomorrow morning,” Oats said of Reid, according to BamaOnline’s Charlie Potter. “I’m sure he’ll be a game-time decision, but he looks a lot better than he has at any point in the last month or so.”

Reid has been a steady contributor for Alabama off the bench this season. Along with his 7.2 points per game average, he logs 3.4 rebounds to go along with 16.9 minutes per game. He’s also started three games this season.

Moreover, Reid has topped double-digits in scoring six times this season. Getting him back means regaining a valuable presence down low against an Auburn team that thrives in the paint.

— On3’s Barkley Truax contributed to this article.