Alex Byington

TUSCALOOSA — Despite his large frame, Jimmie Taylor isn’t known to be much of a big talker.

Yet, even Alabama’s 6-foot-10 sophomore center couldn’t help but partake in a little friendly bravado when asked about the Crimson Tide’s 2-0 mark against cross-state rival Auburn last season.

“This is our state,” Taylor said with a big smile Monday ahead of this season’s first meeting between the two bitter rivals.

First-year Alabama head coach Avery Johnson will have his first true introduction to the intense Iron Bowl of basketball series when the Tide (10-6) take on the rival Tigers (8-8) at 8 p.m. today at Auburn Arena.

“Growing up an Alabama fan, you always want to beat Auburn no matter what it is,” said Alabama sophomore wing Riley Norris, who is originally from Albertville. “So, yeah, we’re proud we won last year, but we have to focus on tomorrow.”

Johnson, who is cracking into the college ranks after a nearly 30-year NBA career, said his first taste of the rivalry with Auburn took place while watching this season’s Iron Bowl football game with some amped-up fans while participating in the AdvoCare Invitational in Orlando, Florida.

“Seeing how the Bama fans that we were watching the game with were basically climbing the walls on every down, so that was pretty exciting,” Johnson said. “But just hearing the passion of our fans, alumni, students and administration when I first took the job here, a lot of the talk was about the rivalry against Auburn. So I’m excited to be a part of it.”

After two regular-season losses to Alabama last season, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl described the disappointment as “a real negative mark on this team and this program as we’re trying to rebuild.”

On Monday, Pearl once again pointed to the importance of coming out on the winning end in the rivalry with Alabama.

“A rivalry win is big — it’s big,” Pearl said, according to the Opelika-Auburn News. “There’s just no denying it, but I’d rather focus on how we need to get it rather than the fact we need to get it. I don’t want to put that pressure on our players.

“I’m not going to be focused too much on the realities of the fact that it will be a game that matters a lot more to our fans than other games. (But) I’ve just got to focus on keep playing hard, keep playing better and doing what we’ve got to do to try and win.”

Auburn is coming off a thrilling upset of national superpower Kentucky, which was ranked 14th when the Tigers rolled up a 75-70 home win Saturday, while Alabama is reeling after a miserable second half doomed the Tide in a 71-63 road loss at Vanderbilt.

Still, while nearly every SEC conference game brings with it an added intensity, there’s nothing like what takes place when the state’s biggest schools go head-to-head, no matter the venue.

“Growing up, you know the rivalry is always there, but I didn’t realize how much emotion is behind it,” Norris said. “Both teams are passionate, both teams want to win … so I figured out that part of the game by playing in the game.”

It’ll certainly be a learning process for Johnson as well, though the one thing about the rivalry he’s not concerned with is playing inside a hostile Auburn Arena.

“It won’t be the worst hostile environment I’ve seen,” said Johnson, whose NBA career as both a player and coach involved stints with seven teams. “Maybe for some of our new guys that are new to the rivalry, but I’ve been to a lot of different places … (playing at the now-demolished) Boston Garden, a lot of places, Oklahoma City has a pretty intense home court, (as do) the Golden State Warriors, so I’ve seen a lot (of hostile territories) in my career.”

The natural hostility aside, really understanding the passion and emotional connection both fans and players have with the outcome of the Iron Bowl rivalry is only something that can be understood through first-hand experience.

And, at least for Johnson, that won’t come until after tipoff today.

“With the rivalry, there’s a lot of extra energy in the gym,” said Taylor, who’s from Greensboro.

“Coach (Johnson) is picking up on how big the rivalry is, but tomorrow, after we play the game, he’ll know exactly how big it is.”