No. 2 seed Alabama Crimson Tide played its first game of March Madness against Horizon League champion and No. 15 seed Robert Morris, winning 90-81.
Alabama struggled at times throughout the game, allowing the Colonials to go up by 1 point with just over seven minutes left in the second half, but that was their only lead of the game.
The Crimson Tide shot a very comfortable 58.6% on field goals. However, the team fell short of what is normally expected from it from the 3-point range, making only six and shooting 28.6%.
In a poor shooting performance, the game was led by Mark Sears and the Alabama frontcourt.
Sears scored 11 of his 22 points from the free throw line while also finding his way in the paint. Center Clifford Omoruyi and forward Mouhamed Dioubate had 17 and 18 points, respectively.
Fouls by Robert Morris were a big part of Alabama’s win as it allowed for free throw attempts as the Crimson Tide was outrebounded, and both teams had the same number of steals and blocks.
“I thought Robert Morris played hard. They’re a good team,” head coach Nate Oats said. “Their effort was great. They ended up with 16 offensive rebounds. We only had five.”
Two days later, Alabama took on another 29-6 team in 7 seed Saint Mary’s, a team known for its strong defensive performances and boasting the No. 7 KenPom defensive efficiency.
The Crimson Tide cruised to its second tournament victory, winning the game 80-66.
Alabama finished the game only allowing another 1-point lead from the opponent, this time coming only four minutes into the game.
The team’s performance was much more solid. Six different players recorded double-digit points and were led by Chris Youngblood who had 13 and went 3/3 from range.
“I thought we wore [Saint Mary’s] out, particularly towards the end of the first half,” Oats said.
There was major improvement and smarter shot selection, allowing for a much more balanced shooting performance. Alabama shot 41.2% from 3, making one more than in the last game off of four fewer attempts.
The Crimson Tide’s field goal shooting was slightly lower, at 51.8%. However, shooting 75% from the free throw line, an 8.3% improvement from the game before, helped make up for it.
Alabama entered the tournament’s second weekend in Newark, New Jersey, looking like a different team than the week prior.
The Crimson Tide played the No. 6 seed BYU Cougars, scoring 113 points and making an NCAA Tournament record 25 three-pointers, winning by 25.
The team looked more like the one fans saw more often during the regular season, with Sears scoring 34 points and guard Aden Holloway scoring 23.
“They had been going under ball screens just about every game we watched,” Oats said. “I told both those guys, Holloway and Sears, I hope they go under us. We’re going to rain them.”
Alabama shot a similar percentage on field goals. However, with shot selection looking entirely different, it shot about 7% better from 3-point range.
The Crimson Tide went from shooting 17 3s to shooting 51. Alabama also had five players make at least two 3-pointers.
The team shot 10% better from the free throw line, outrebounded the Cougars, recorded three blocks, and forced 11 turnovers. Alabama also held its opponents to less than 25% from 3 in back-to-back games.
Alabama completely dominated and looked unstoppable, and soon it was destined for a matchup against the No. 1 seed in the region, the Duke Blue Devils.
The Alabama Crimson Tide hit the court one last time 46 hours later, and it yet again looked like a different team. Alabama succumbed to the Blue Devils in a 85-65 loss in the Elite Eight.
The Crimson Tide was dominated from start to finish by a Duke team with the No. 4 KenPom defensive efficiency ranking.
This is the second-least amount of points that Alabama has scored in a game this season. The Crimson Tide only made 8 of its 32 3-point attempts, finishing the game with a 25% completion rate.
Alabama only had three players finish in double-digit points, with guard Labaron Philon leading the way with 16 points and three 3-pointers.
The Crimson Tide also only shot 35.4% on field goals to Duke’s 53.6%, as well as 46.2% on its 3-pointers and 86.4% from the free throw line.
Alabama fans will now have to wait until next season begins to see the Crimson Tide hit the court again, next time without Sears, Youngblood, Omoruyi and Grant Nelson.
Fans can continue to watch the madness unfold as the Final Four matchups of Florida versus Auburn and Duke versus Houston will be played Saturday, with the championship on Monday.
