Boutwell Auditorium, once a hotbed for concerts and professional wrestling during its 1980s heyday, trades the music and body slams for SEC exhibition basketball as @AlabamaMBB faces @OleMissMBB in “Ballin’ at Boutwell” tonight at 8 p.m. The second of three exhibition games for Alabama will be televised by the SEC Network. It’s been a whirlwind of activities for the Crimson Tide, beginning with a 111-93 victory over Furman in its first preseason exhibition matchup. Despite a solid offensive performance, surrendering 93 points left @nate_oats plenty to address defensively. The spotlight then shifted to SEC Tip-off ’27 on Tuesday at the Hotel Wildemont in Mountain Brook, where Oats was joined by Amari Allen, Drew Fielder and Brandon Garrison. After a full day of media activities and preseason discussions, it’s back to the hardwood for the Crimson Tide. Alabama remains shorthanded in the backcourt with Aden Holloway still serving his suspension and Anderson Diaz sidelined several weeks with an elbow injury. Tonight’s matchup also carries an interesting subplot. The last time these SEC rivals met, Ole Miss upset Alabama in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, abruptly ending hopes of a tournament championship. For Alabama, the priorities remain building chemistry, improving defensively and developing its depth before the regular season begins. And what better backdrop than a Birmingham landmark that has entertained generations of fans.