Every basketball season includes white-noise games. You know, the ones that you care about perhaps the night they are being played, but you didn’t think much about them beforehand and didn’t give much thought to them after either.

Saturday’s game isn’t one of those. Far from it.

In fact, folks began thinking about it before either Alabama men’s basketball or Auburn men’s basketball played other games earlier this week in conference play. Sure, people watched the Crimson Tide beat Texas and the Tigers beat Vanderbilt. But the focus of the week, and really the month, has been and will be the Alabama-Auburn game.

Auburn, ranked No. 1 in the AP top 25 and No. 2 in the coaches poll, will face Alabama, ranked No. 2 in the AP top 25 and No. 1 in the coaches poll, and make history in the process. Never before have the nation’s top two teams faced off in an SEC regular-season basketball game before. That changes on Saturday (3 p.m., ESPN) at Coleman Coliseum.

“We’ll see Saturday who’s the best team in the country I guess,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said Tuesday.

So, how will these two teams stack up?

In two parts, AL.com is examining who has the edge prior to Saturday.

This post will provide a look at how Alabama has advantages compared to Auburn. For the reverse, make sure to read the other AL.com story on the ways the Tigers have the edge.

The following statistics are all provided via KenPom as of Wednesday afternoon.

Alabama’s advantages on offense

The Crimson Tide and Tigers are two of the best in the country in grabbing offensive rebounds, but Alabama has a slight edge over Auburn.

Alabama’s offensive rebounding percentage is 37%, ranked 16th nationally. Meanwhile, Auburn has grabbed offensive rebounds at a rate of 36.2%, ranked 25th.

The Crimson Tide is also ahead of the Tigers in two-point shooting percentage; Alabama makes 60.8% of its two-point attempts, and that’s second-best in the nation. Auburn makes 56.6%, ranked 22nd. That’s certainly a good number for the Tigers, but the Crimson Tide is one of the most efficient and best with its shots inside the arc.

Lastly, Alabama holds an edge in effective field-goal percentage. What does that mean? Let KenPom explain: “This differs from conventional field goal percentage by taking into account the extra value of a made 3-pointer.”

The Crimson Tide’s effective field-goal percentage: 56.5%, ranked 13th nationally.

The Tigers’ effective field-goal percentage: 56.2%, ranked 21st nationally.

That’s not much of a difference, but it’s a slight advantage nonetheless for Alabama. These two offenses are both elite and right in the neighborhood of each other in many statistical categories. There’s a reason they’re No. 1 (Auburn) and No. 2 (Alabama) in adjusted offensive efficiency.

Alabama’s advantages on defense

The main area the Crimson Tide holds an edge over the Tigers is in three-point defense.

Alabama sits No. 14 in the country in three-point defense, allowing a shooting percentage of 29.3% beyond the arc.

Auburn also is good but not quite as good as Alabama. The Tigers allow 30.4% from deep, ranked 31st. Auburn’s defense inside the arc is better than outside in terms of ranking nationally. Alabama’s the reverse of that.

Otherwise, the Tigers have many of the advantages when it comes to defensive analytics. Auburn ranks higher in overall defense, allowing 94.7 points per 100 possessions. That’s 17th nationally. Meanwhile, Alabama allows 98.3 points per 100 possessions. That ranks 39th nationally.

A few personnel notes on where Alabama has an edge

In offensive rating, which is a formula for the offensive efficiency of a single player, Alabama has the highest-ranked player of any who will be on the court — Clifford Omoruyi.

He’s 22nd in the country in offensive rating at 134.2. Auburn’s Dylan Cardwell has the next best at 132.4, which ranks 28th. Alabama guard Aden Holloway will have the third-best offensive rating on the court at 130.4, ranked 39th.

Alabama also has two players with an edge in assist rate, which KenPom explains as “assists divided by the field goals made by the player’s teammates while he is on the court.” Guard Labaron Philon has tallied an assist rate of 25.4, which ranks 180th nationally. Guard Mark Sears is right behind him at 25.2, ranked 185th. The next closest Auburn player is Johni Broome with an assist rate of 22.9, ranked 288th.

Sears also draws fouls at a higher rate than any player who will be on the floor Saturday. He draws 6.1 fouls per 40 minutes played. That’s 69th best in the nation. Broome is Auburn’s best at drawing fouls with 5.2 per 40 minutes played.

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.