TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The Alabama men’s basketball team defeated No. 4 Auburn, 83-64, on Wednesday night, handing the previously-unbeaten Tigers their first loss of the season.

After thanking the sellout crowd that showed up inside Coleman Coliseum for the rivalry game, first-year head coach Nate Oats called the 19-point win over Auburn “huge” for the Tide.

“We’ve been needing a signature win,” Oats said. “We were close a few times. Obviously, we should have won the Florida game. But if we’re going to make a run and try to play in the NCAA Tournament, you’ve got to get signature wins. You’ve got to get these wins. You’re going to have to go get some road wins, too. So, it’s good to get that monkey off our back. We finally got a signature win now. Now, we’ve got to go on a run and get some wins, period.”

The Crimson Tide (9-7, 2-2 SEC) scored first on a Herbert Jones layup and led the rest of the game. Alabama shot 43 percent from the floor (24-of-56) and 78 percent from the free-throw line (29-of-37) compared to Auburn’s 32 percent (20-of-63) and 57 percent (17-of-30).

The win over the Tigers was the Tide’s first over a team ranked in the Associated Press Poll’s top four since Alabama defeated then-No. 1 Stanford in the 2004 NCAA Tournament.

“I think they’re playing really well,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. “If you look at their last nine games, they were 6-3 and could have easily been 9-0. They were picked fifth in the league, so they’re a good team. They’ve got good players. I recruited and lost almost every one of those guys he’s got there -- Kira and Herb and John and (Javian Davis). I recruited them. Could never been them in recruiting, and we had a hard time beating them tonight.

“So, I’ve got great respect for what they’re doing.”

Oats became the first Alabama basketball coach to defeat Auburn in his first meeting with the Tigers since David Hobbs accomplished the same feat in 1993. But he was not happy with the lack of three-pointers the Crimson Tide made Wednesday -- 6-of-21 (29 percent).

“That’s not really how we want to play,” Oats said.

Nate Oats celebrates with Alabama students after defeating No. 4 Auburn.

Oats does, however, like everything else his team is doing after its first 16 games. At roughly the halfway point of the 2019-20 season, and with a signature win over its in-state rival now in hand, the Crimson Tide will look to build on the progress it has made since its 2-4 start.

“It feels good to be 1-0 (against Auburn) for right now,” Oats said. “(The SEC) gave us a pretty good, tough four-game stretch to start. We’re 2-2 in the SEC. If we’re going to challenge and try to make the NCAA Tournament, you’ve got to be a little bit above .500. So, we’re going to have to go on a winning streak. I think playing the way we did, we know we should 3-1. That Florida game’s going to haunt us.

“… We’re playing our best basketball. We just need to get on a run.”

OATS ON MCLEMORE’S PRESEASON COMMENT

One of the top storylines for this game actually centered around a comment made before the season tipped off. At SEC Media Day on Oct. 16, Auburn’s Anfernee McLemore was asked where in the SEC he enjoyed playing, outside of Auburn Arena. His answer was Tuscaloosa because he likes “the look of disappointment on their faces when we win.”

Oats and the players admitted that served as motivation during preparation for the game.

“I get what’s he doing,” Oats said. “And shoot, I’ve got a lot of respect for McLemore. He’s a great player. He’s been in a lot of wins for him. … I didn’t mind him adding a little spice to the rivalry. I kind of leave it out there myself. Maybe a little too raw. I actually liked it. It added to the rivalry. We made sure that was on the screen, the last thing we saw before they went out.

“It was nice he gave us that.”

Contact Charlie Potter by personal message or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).