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CLEVELAND − Alabama basketball is going to reach the Final Four for the second consecutive year.
For someone who's paid attention to the program for more than three decades, I can't say it's a sentence I ever expected to put together, but following the Crimson Tide's 80-66 dismantling of No. 7 seed St. Mary's on Sunday, it's a prediction I'm comfortable making. That's not to say the task is easy by any means, but before digging into the competition that will stand in the way, consider first what this Alabama team will take to Newark, N.J., next week for Sweet 16 action in the NCAA Tournament:
HIGHLIGHTS: Live updates for Alabama basketball vs Saint Mary's in fight to clinch Sweet 16: Score, highlights
UP NEXT: BYU Cougars will be opponent for Alabama basketball in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
In short, this is just a better team than the Alabama squad that did the Final Four trick 12 months ago. Maybe a lot better, even if it can only be remembered that way by making as deep a tourney run as its predecessor. Oats, asked point blank if his personnel is better-equipped to reach a Final Four than it was last year, said, "Yeah, for sure."
There's an obvious chemistry and unselfishness, too, which can carry a team in tough tournament moments. And I have no doubt that those tough moments are coming. The Crimson Tide will take on a 24-8 BYU team that nipped Wisconsin to advance to the Round of 16 and features a dangerously talented forward in Richie Saunders. No. 1-seeded Duke would likely await in the Elite Eight. The Blue Devils just drummed Baylor to improve to 33-3 and might well have the best player in the nation in freshman Cooper Flagg. The challenge of beating BYU and (likely) Duke over a three-day stretch is more daunting than the two-win hurdle it overcame at the same tournament juncture last year: North Carolina and Clemson.
But facing this Alabama team is more daunting, too.
The Crimson Tide team that reached the first Final Four in program history did it with a well-timed hot streak and just enough grit to offset season-long defensive woes, until it ran into an unbeatable foe in UConn.
This UA team? It's got a bigger toolbox.
Big enough to get to San Antonio.
Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at [email protected]. Follow on X.com @chasegoodbread.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Why Alabama basketball will reach a historic back-to-back Final Four
Continue reading...
For someone who's paid attention to the program for more than three decades, I can't say it's a sentence I ever expected to put together, but following the Crimson Tide's 80-66 dismantling of No. 7 seed St. Mary's on Sunday, it's a prediction I'm comfortable making. That's not to say the task is easy by any means, but before digging into the competition that will stand in the way, consider first what this Alabama team will take to Newark, N.J., next week for Sweet 16 action in the NCAA Tournament:
HIGHLIGHTS: Live updates for Alabama basketball vs Saint Mary's in fight to clinch Sweet 16: Score, highlights
UP NEXT: BYU Cougars will be opponent for Alabama basketball in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
- Depth that is second-to-none. Said coach Nate Oats on Sunday, "We literally have 10 guys who I'm comfortable playing double-digit minutes."
- A floor general in guard Mark Sears, who is filling the production cup with assists and quality defense while waiting for his 3-point stroke to reheat.
- A cast of 3-point shooters who, with or without Sears, can string together a 9-0 run in the blink of an eye.
- A floor-diving, gut-checking grinder of a forward in Mo Dioubate, who delivered 10 points and five rebounds in just 15 minutes against the Gaels. A walking X-factor.
- Health. With center Grant Nelson seemingly fine after a knee injury scare in the SEC tournament, and freshman Derrion Reid rounding into form after overcoming a nagging injury of his own, this team is as healthy as it's been since early January.
In short, this is just a better team than the Alabama squad that did the Final Four trick 12 months ago. Maybe a lot better, even if it can only be remembered that way by making as deep a tourney run as its predecessor. Oats, asked point blank if his personnel is better-equipped to reach a Final Four than it was last year, said, "Yeah, for sure."
There's an obvious chemistry and unselfishness, too, which can carry a team in tough tournament moments. And I have no doubt that those tough moments are coming. The Crimson Tide will take on a 24-8 BYU team that nipped Wisconsin to advance to the Round of 16 and features a dangerously talented forward in Richie Saunders. No. 1-seeded Duke would likely await in the Elite Eight. The Blue Devils just drummed Baylor to improve to 33-3 and might well have the best player in the nation in freshman Cooper Flagg. The challenge of beating BYU and (likely) Duke over a three-day stretch is more daunting than the two-win hurdle it overcame at the same tournament juncture last year: North Carolina and Clemson.
But facing this Alabama team is more daunting, too.
The Crimson Tide team that reached the first Final Four in program history did it with a well-timed hot streak and just enough grit to offset season-long defensive woes, until it ran into an unbeatable foe in UConn.
This UA team? It's got a bigger toolbox.
Big enough to get to San Antonio.
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Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at [email protected]. Follow on X.com @chasegoodbread.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Why Alabama basketball will reach a historic back-to-back Final Four
Continue reading...
