LOUISVILLE, Ky. — At this time just two short years ago, 2-seed
Alabama basketball was preparing for its first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2004.
It was there that the road ended for the Crimson Tide.
In the NCAA Tournament to cap off a historic 2020-21 season for not just Alabama, but the entirety of college basketball, the Crimson Tide's road ended in an overtime loss to UCLA in one of the game's most historic venues, Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University. Alabama had already won both the SEC regular-season and tournament titles but wins over Iona in the First Round and Maryland in the Second Round were ultimately all the team could manage.
This year, though, the team is looking to ensure that history doesn't repeat itself.
Indeed, there have been a lot of similarities heading into this week's Sweet 16 matchup with San Diego State for Alabama basketball (5:30 p.m. CT, TBS). Just like two years ago, the Crimson Tide had swept its conference titles. The Terrapins were also once again Alabama's opponent in the Second Round, with the Crimson Tide prevailing by a lopsided final score of 73-51.
Alabama is also the No. 1-overall seed for the first time in program history.
But in the end, the entire season comes down to Friday's game against the Aztecs for the Crimson Tide as it seeks just its second trip to the Elite Eight in program history. Should it win, the season will be considered a resounding success regardless of whether it ends on Sunday in Louisville or on April 3 in Houston.
Here's everything you need to know about Alabama's Sweet 16 opponent in San Diego State and its two potential opponents for the Elite Eight:
5-Seed San Diego State
The Aztecs arrive to the Sweet 16 with an overall record of 29-6, besting 12-seed Charleston in the First Round and 13-seed Furman in the Round of 32. On paper, Alabama’s 31-5 record is certainly daunting, but SDSU is more than capable of catching teams — even the Crimson Tide — by surprise.
SDSU’s offense leaves a lot to be desired, coming into the game as No. 70 according to
KenPom. That’s a far cry from Alabama’s 18th best offense according to the same metric. That being said, it’s its defense that the Aztecs hang their hats on.
So far in this year’s NCAA Tournament, SDSU has given up an average of just 54.5 points per game. In fact, the Aztecs boast the fifth-best defensive efficiency in the country on KenPom, just two spots behind Alabama’s third-best. The Crimson Tide gave up an average of 63 points per game in Birmingham, Ala., but considering that it held 8-seed Maryland to just 53 points — a team far more physical than any team that the Aztecs have faced so far in March Madness — and that starts to become more understandable.
Alabama hasn’t really been tested so far, winning both of its games by 21 points or more. Sand Diego State presents far and above the Crimson Tide’s toughest challenge yet. As one of the slower teams in the tournament, the Aztecs have the ability to slow the game down and limit Alabama’s possessions — something that Crimson Tide teams under Nate Oats have struggled with during his tenure. If the Crimson Tide is able to force the Aztecs to play fast, then the balance of power shifts drastically over in favor of Alabama.
Should SDSU manage to force Alabama to play slow, though, then an upset is certainly not beyond the realm of possibility.
6-Seed Creighton Bluejays
If the Crimson Tide was to make it past San Diego State and advance to its second Elite Eight in school history, its most likely opponent would be 6-seed Creighton.
Some Alabama fans will shudder at the thought of playing the Bluejays after they beat the Crimson Tide in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament, and this Creighton team is as dangerous as they come.
Creighton ranked in the top-10 of the preseason polls, and the talent on head coach Greg McDermott’s squad is undeniable. The Bluejays are led in scoring by a 7-foot-1 monster of a center in junior Ryan Kalkbrenner, who went for 31 points in Creighton’s opening-round NCAA Tournament win over NC State.
Joining Kalkbrenner as the Bluejays’ other top offensive threat is point guard Ryan Nembhard, who scored 30 of his own in Creighton’s second-round win over 3-seed Baylor. Guard Trey Alexander and forward Baylor Scheierman – a transfer from South Dakota State – round out the top-four scorers on an offense that ranks 23rd in college basketball per KenPom.
That offense is one of the biggest reasons that Creighton is such a dangerous team, and why it’s made it this far in the tournament already. Alabama has become synonymous with up-tempo offense, and Creighton boasts one of the few offensive attacks in the nation that can keep up with the Crimson Tide.
Despite all the talent on the roster, Creighton has suffered from inconsistencies at times this season, leading to a 23-12 record. The Bluejays started the season 9-8 after its highly-touted preseason ranking, including losing eight of 11 games from late November to early January. Creighton won just six of its final 10 games of the regular season after an 8-game win streak was snapped, and fell in the Big East Tournament by 22 to Xavier in the semifinals.
If Alabama and Creighton were to match up in the Elite Eight, it would be a showdown with as much firepower as any combination left in the NCAA Tournament, and one that would be one of the biggest challenges yet for this incredibly stout Alabama defense.
15-Seed Princeton
The Princeton Tigers (23-8) are the Cinderella story of the NCAA Tournament so far, and that fairytale would continue if the Ivy League champions beat Creighton to potentially set up a matchup with Alabama in the Sweet 16.
Princeton stunned No. 2 Arizona 59-55 in the Round of 64 with a run in the final minutes to win its first NCAA Tournament game in 25 years and mark the third straight season a 2-seed has been upset by a 15-seed. But the journey didn’t end there. In an all-tiger matchup against SEC foe Missouri, senior guard Ryan Langborg went off for 22 points as Princeton easily took care of Missouri 78-63.
Like Alabama, Princeton won both its regular season and conference tournament championship in the Ivy League. The Tigers have won six straight games, including the Ivy League championship game over Yale.
The Tigers are an experienced team with three seniors in the starting lineup, including leading scorer Tosan Evbomwan, who averages 14.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. The one freshman in their starting five, Caden Pierce, won Ivy League Rookie of the Year.
Princeton is one of the top rebounding teams in the country and won the battle on the boards in both of its first two NCAA Tournament games, and it could be a key against No. 6 Creighton Friday evening.
www.cbssports.com
www.docsports.com
