In one of the most highly-anticipated college basketball games of the season, Auburn basketball went on the road and impressively got the job done. Bruce Pearl's Tigers backed up their No. 1 ranking with a great finish against No. 2 Alabama to walk out of Tuscaloosa with a 94-85 win.

Auburn got contributions from all over its roster on Saturday afternoon, as six players finished in double figures for the top team in the nation. Star big man Johni Broome led the way with 19 points and also added 24 rebounds and six assists.

Auburn fans' hearts skipped a beat in the second half with Broome drove right, spun back to his left and seemed to suffer a lower body injury, possibly a re-aggravation of his left ankle sprain that caused him to miss some time in January. However, after big man Dylan Cardwell fouled out, Broome came back into the game and scored a pair of clutch buckets in the final three minutes to put the game out of reach.

“I came in trying to be aggressive, and I was kind of feeling it a little bit, so went and made some plays,” Broome said after the game, per ESPN.

With this win, Auburn has solidified itself as the top team in the country and now has the inside track to the SEC regular season title, and Broome is a major reason why.

Auburn in pole position for No. 1 overall tournament seed

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Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl directs his team against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first half at Coleman Coliseum.
Will McLelland-Imagn Images

Auburn's resume already had to be incredibly strong in order for them to survive a blowout loss against Florida last Saturday and still remain at No. 1 in the nation. Now, after road wins over Vanderbilt and Alabama, it is going to be very hard to catch Auburn for the No. 1 seed in the South region when the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed next month.

Not only is Auburn a sparkling 23-2 on the season, with its only losses coming against top five teams in Florida and Duke, but the Tigers have more wins than anybody against good teams. Auburn is a stunning 14-2 in Quad 1 games while no other team has more than eight victories against the best of the best.

Auburn is also the top ranked team with the best offense in the country according to KenPom, so all of the metrics are on the Tigers' side. They pass the eye test, the strength of schedule test, and the advanced metrics test and have beaten just about everyone who has stepped in front of them.

Incredibly, Auburn still has five games against ranked teams left on its schedule, including a rematch against Alabama, so it will have a chance to separate itself further from the field. If Pearl can keep this group playing the way it has been all season, Auburn should have no problem grabbing that top overall seed in the postseason.