AUBURN | Bruce Pearl wants his Tigers to slip out of Tuscaloosa just like they did Starkville.

Like a thief in the night.

“It’s a dangerous opponent,” Pearl said. “Obviously, it’s a rivalry game for us. We’re going to have to be able to handle the environment. Look forward to the opportunity of trying to get a win most people won’t get at Alabama.”

The 4th-ranked Tigers opened conference play with an 80-68 win at Mississippi State. Pearl looks at just about any road win in the SEC as stealing a game. SEC teams are a combined 102-23 at home this season including 12-7 in conference play, and those away wins can be crucial in the championship race and NCAA seeding. It's also an opportunity for an important Quadrant 1 win.

But stealing one at Alabama won’t be easy. Auburn is 10-49 all-time in Tuscaloosa, which includes last year’s come-from-behind 66-60 win. AU hasn’t won back-to-back games at its in-state rival since 1970-71.

“I just hear a lot of people talking about it. It’s a big game. Hostile environment,” freshman Isaac Okoro said. “A lot of people are going to be there. So, you know, I just want to go out there for the Auburn fans and just get a W.”

Pearl insists his players shouldn’t be fooled by the Tide’s 8-7 record or 1-2 start to conference play. Alabama has won six of its last nine games and those three losses were by two points at Penn State, six points at Florida in a game they led by 14 at halftime, and nine points at Kentucky.

“They are one of the fastest teams in the country,” Pearl said. “They’re third in the country in tempo. That’s hard to do. They’re getting it and going. They’re playing with great freedom. They’re the best 3-point shooting team in our league. They’re hard to guard because of it. They use Alex Reese like we use Anfernee McLemore. It kind of puts you in a difficult position as far as how you choose to guard that action.”

Alabama leads the SEC in scoring, averaging 83.2 points per game, and in made 3-pointers with 160. John Petty leads the Tide in scoring at 16.7 points per game and Kira Lewis is right behind him at 16.2, giving UA a strong backcourt.

Auburn enters the game 15-0 overall and 3-0 in the SEC, leading the conference in scoring margin, rebounding and blocked shots. Tip-off at Coleman Coliseum is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

“We’re going to have to now begin to show step-up. There’s got to be more step-up,” Pearl said. “I thought we stepped up a little bit against Georgia. It’s why you play these games. If we can continue to step up, we can go from being a really good team to being a very good team.”