Emotions nearly bubbled over in the Alabama–Auburn handshake line following Saturday’s game in Tuscaloosa. Amari Allen and Kevin Overton exchanged pleasantries, where the Alabama freshman appeared to say something. Overton did not take kindly to whatever was said, immediately turning around.
Thankfully, a pair of coaches from both sides were there to de-escalate. Overton was pushed back by an Auburn coach, while Allen went with someone from Alabama. Nothing else came from the matter, at least for the time being.
Amari Allen & Kevin Overton had a heated exchange in the handshake line after Alabama’s 96-84 win over Auburn. pic.twitter.com/5FcPvJjFYv
— Alabama Crimson Tide | AL.com (@aldotcomTide) March 8, 2026
Another video, recorded by Roger Hooever of the Crimson Tide Sports Network, shows Overton finding Allen shortly after. By that point, Allen was surrounded by more teammates, and the same staffer who pulled him away from the original moment. Overton was by himself for a few brief moments.
Again, not much came despite there clearly being some heat. Overton eventually walked off the court alongside his head coach, Steven Pearl. Allen made his way over to the Alabama student section to celebrate the victory. You can check out the second instance here, around the 40-second mark.
Allen finished the night as one of five Alabama players to finish in double-figures. Sixteen points on 12 shot attempts, making eight of them. All of Allen’s points came inside the three-point line, not even cashing in from the free-throw line. Usually, Allen is somebody who is able to hit one from deep but missed his lone attempt.
Overton actually walked off the court as the game’s leading scorer. He dropped 24 points, being one of the lone bright spots on the evening for Auburn. A nice four of 10 from three falls on the stat sheet, also securing five rebounds. While the overall result might have been a tough one, Overton still put forth his best effort.
Unfortunately, the road to a potential third matchup between Alabama and Auburn is a long one. The two rivals find each other on opposing sides of the SEC Tournament bracket. Auburn will run through the top half and top-seed Florida, while Alabama holds down the No. 2 seed. If a third Iron Bowl of Basketball does commence, it will have to be in the championship game.
No love will be lost between Allen and Overton, on the off chance they share a court again. A fiery moment once again proved how much this game can mean to the players without fully losing control.