Bruce Pearl plans to deploy Memphis 2008 game strategy to shut down Nate Oats' high-powered Alabama offense

The top two seeds in college basketball will meet off later on Saturday, with the top-ranked Auburn Tigers taking on the second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. This is the sixth time the top two teams in the same state have faced off, and the first time it has happened in the Southeastern Conference.

Not many people know the feeling of this game but Auburn coach Bruce Pearl is one of them. He was the coach of the Tennessee Volunteers when he had this happen as they played the top-ranked Memphis Tigers while the Vols were second in the nation (2007-08 season).

While sitting down on Friday with ESPN's Jess Sims, Pearl discussed his feelings when reflecting on that game and how it could translate to Saturday's matchup against Alabama, coached by Nate Oats.

"I remember I thought I had to give our kids some confidence that they could actually go to Memphis and beat that team," Pearl said. "Don't forget, that team lost the national championship game to Kansas, Memphis only lost two games that year, one was to Tennessee and one was the last game of the year.

"I didn't know if we were the best team in the country then and I don't know if we're the best team in the country now either, but I did know that if we beat Memphis there that night that we'd be ranked number one."

Where does the Auburn Tigers rank in the committee's first bracket preview?

The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee released their first bracket prediction, which involves the top 16 teams in the country. The Auburn Tigers were unsurprisingly named the number-one seed in the country entering Saturday's game and below is the breakdown of the top 16 seeds.

1. Auburn Tigers
2. Alabama Crimson Tide
3. Duke Blue Devils
4. Florida Gators
5. Tennessee Volunteers
6. Texas A&M Aggies
7. Purdue Boilermakers
8. Houston Cougars
9. Iowa State Cyclones
10. Kentucky Wildcats
11. Wisconsin Badgers
12. Arizona Wildcats
13. Texas Tech Red Raiders
14. Michigan Wolverines
15. Kansas Jayhawks
16. St. John's Red Storm

The Auburn Tigers are expected to be in the South Region, among the Texas A&M Aggies, Wisconsin Badgers and Texas Tech Red Raiders. Things will change before the final brackets are announced, but this is a good sign for the Tigers right now.