Saturday’s Auburn vs. Alabama game was billed as the biggest of the college basketball season to date as No. 1 and No. 2 squared off. It lived up to the billing – and ESPN scored a TV ratings victory.

The matchup drew 2.8 million viewers to become ESPN’s most-watched men’s college basketball game of the season to date, . It also peaked at 3.5 million viewers as Auburn came away with the 94-85 victory at Coleman Coliseum.

For comparison, ESPN’s previous most-watched game was Clemson’s upset victory over Duke at 2.1 million viewers, which also marked the return of beloved analyst Dick Vitale after two years away from the microphone. The most-watched college basketball game of the season came on Thanksgiving when  vs. Arkansas brought in 5.1 million. That game immediately followed an NFL game, though.

The anticipation was building throughout the week after Auburn and Alabama sat in the top two spots, respectively, in the AP poll. They were also the top two teams in the NCAA Tournament selection committee’s Top 16 seeds reveal Saturday afternoon, just before tip-off.

Auburn took control in the first half of the Iron Bowl of Basketball matchup, heading into halftime with a 42-33 lead. That lead grew to 59-45 in the second half, but Alabama mounted a comeback to eventually tie things up at 68-68. Auburn, however, was able to fight back and eventually pull away for the rivalry victory.