The top-seeded Alabama men’s basketball team will host No. 2 Maryland in the quarterfinal round of the National Invitational Tournament on Tuesday March 26 at Coleman Coliseum.
The Terrapins (24-12) defeated No. 3 Denver 62-52 in the second round of the NIT to punch their ticket to Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide (23-12) downed No. 4 Stanford 66-54 to advance to the quarterfinals.
“Really impressed with watching Maryland’s team on film,” head coach Anthony Grant said. “You look at the success they’ve had, 24 wins on the season, very competitive in their conference, a very deep team with 10 guys, obviously led by Dez Wells. He’s done a terrific job scoring, rebounding and defending. They’ve got really good perimeter play, a lot of versatility. Their frontcourt is big and talented and deep, so this will be a great challenge for our team.”
Sophomore guard Dez Wells is the catalyst for Maryland. He is averaging 13.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game this season. Over the last nine games he has averaged 18.3 points per game.
“He’s a tough, strong, physical guard,” junior guard Trevor Releford said. “He just brings that toughness for their team.”
Sophomore guard Levi Randolph said it will be tough to figure out which Tide player will be assigned the chore of guarding Wells on Tuesday.
“He’s a really good player,” Randolph said. “He’s a player that can get to the rim. He does a lot of different things. He can shoot the ball, he’s really fast and he can defend.”
But Randolph has been on a tear of his own since the NIT began. He has led Alabama in scoring and recorded at least five rebounds in each game.
Grant said it has been Randolph’s efficiency that has led to strong postseason performances.
“I think he’s done a really good job of being aggressive and attacking, getting himself to the free throw line, continuing to be, from a defensive standpoint, a guy that can guard a lot of different styles of players,” Grant said. “He’s seen a lot over the course of the year, and I think this time of year you want to be kind of in your groove. It’s good to see him step up and do the things that he’s been able to do.”
Both teams have won four of their last five games entering the quarterfinal matchup. But that’s not the only common characteristic that Grant has seen in both teams.
“I think in a lot of ways they mirror us, in terms of they’re a pressing team,” Grant said. “They’re a team that has guys that play multiple positions. I think they play with really good effort consistently. I think you look at their defensive numbers, they’ve been one of the best defensive in their conference.”
Alabama is 16-3 at home this season, winning 12 consecutive games at Coleman Coliseum. In NIT play, it has won eight straight home games since its loss to UAB in 1993.
The Tide is coming off arguably its strongest performance of the season with its win over Stanford, but Grant still sees room for improvement from his team.
“We’ve got to take care of the ball better,” Grant said. “Assist-to-turnover ratio has got to get better. Outside of that, just continue to play with the focus that you need to play with and work toward trying to win each game and try to win a championship.”
The game will tipoff at 6:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.
