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No. 4-seed Alabama Crimson Tide defeated No. 12-seed Grand Canyon Sunday to secure a spot in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years.
RT if your team is DANCIN' in the Sweet 16!#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/33ZOwuRc7F
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2024
Crimson Tide Struggles
The Tide began their NCAA tournament run with a 109-96 victory over the Charleston Cougars in the first round. They took on the Antelopes in round two, defeating them 72-61.
This was the lowest scoring game all season by Alabama, as it led the NCAA during the regular season with 91.3 points per game. Both teams struggled, combining for just 10 points in the first six minutes. The Tide held the lead at the half, 38-30. Head coach Nate Oats picked up a technical foul early after arguing with the officials. The Alabama bench picked up a second technical foul before halftime.
While the Antelopes struggled offensively as well, they managed to rally from a 10-point deficit to take a 58-55 lead with six minutes remaining. However, GCU was unable to maintain Alabama guard Mark Sears, who led with 26 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.
SWEET 16 HERE WE COME!!#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/MuUNP5wVMb
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) March 25, 2024
Oats acknowledged his team’s struggles and what had to change to pull out the victory.
Looking Ahead
The Crimson Tide have a difficult road ahead of them. They will face the No.1-seed North Carolina Tar Heels Thursday. The Tar Heels are coming off a 85-69 victory over the Michigan State Spartans in round two to send them to the Sweet 16. This trip to the Sweet 16 extends the team’s record to 31 all-time appearances.
This game is not an unfamiliar one for either team, as they each have an 8-5 all-time record. In their previous matchup (November 27, 2022), the Tide came out on top 103-101 after quadruple-overtime. Alabama is 1-2 all-time against the Tar Heels in the NCAA Tournament.
Alabama and North Carolina will tip-off shortly after the Clemson versus Arizona game, which begins at 7:09 p.m. ET, comes to a finish.
