Hello and Roll Tide!

On Sunday, Alabama’s Men’s Basketball Team defeated Saint Mary’s in the Second round of the NCAA tournament, advancing to the Sweet 16. This is Alabama’s 3rd consecutive Sweet 16 appearance, and 4th in the last 5 years. The only other programs to make it to 4 of the last 5 Sweet 16’s are Houston, Gonzaga, and Arkansas. Nate Oats has built a prolific program at Alabama. Today I will review the NCAA tournament so far (1st and 2nd rounds), preview Alabama’s next opponent in BYU, and mention Bama’s stars of the weekend. Let’s go!

NCAA 1st Round: Robert Morris:

Alabama is a 2 seed in the NCAA tournament which paired them up with 15 seeded Robert Morris. The Robert Morris Colonials won their first ever Horizon League Championship in 2025, giving them an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Alabama tried to beat Robert Morris with speed, but RM was able to keep pace with the Crimson Tide. Robert Morris attempted 20 more shots than Alabama as RM forced more turnovers (+3) and outrebounded Alabama (+2); specifically 16 offensive rebounds to Alabama’s 5. While RM could match Alabama with speed, they could not in size. The Tide attacked RM inside the paint, often tossing alley-oops to Cliff Omoruyi (8 for 8 with 17pts). Mo D was also effective, collecting 10 rebounds with an efficient 8-10 from the floor. Alabama led 40-36 at the half and the game stayed close throughout the second. With 8:47 left to play in the 2nd, Grant Nelson told coach Oats to put him in. Grant provided a spark to the Alabama team. In his 7 minutes of play he scored 5 points, recorded 3 rebounds, and had a steal. It was clear that he was the missing piece as the Tide took over the rest of the game, eventually winning 90-81. Mo D won the Hard Hat award.

NCAA 2nd Round: Saint Mary’s

Alabama met Saint Mary’s in the Second round of the NCAA tournament after the Gaels beat 10 seeded Vanderbilt on Friday. Saint Mary’s won the WCC regular season but lost to Gonzaga in their conference tournament championship game. Alabama and Saint Mary’s play-styles are completely different. Alabama is the fastest team in the country (75 possessions per game) while Saint Mary’s ranked 360 out of 364th in the same category (61.6 possessions per game). Before the game, Nate Oats commented that the Tide would have to adjust their play-style to take on Saint Mary’s. Grant Nelson got the start, after missing most of round 1 due to injury. His presence was noticed immediately as he recorded 3 rebounds and a block in the first 4 minutes. The game started at Saint Mary’s pace as both teams combined for only 31 points in the first 10 minutes. From that point on Alabama was much more effective, seemingly holding a 10-point lead the rest of the game. This game took a collective effort as 6 different Alabama players scored over 10 points: Chris Youngblood (13), Grant Nelson (12), Mark Sears (12), Aden Holloway (12), Cliff Omoruyi (10), and Mo D (10). Mark Sears struggled to score but created several opportunities at the rim. Alabama even saw improvement at the free throw line, shooting 75% (15 of 20). Alabama hung on to win 80-66. Cliff Omoruyi won the Hard Hat award.

Sweet 16 Preview: BYU Cougars

Alabama will face off against BYU in the Sweet Sixteen. This will be the third all-time meeting between the schools in basketball: Alabama won previous both matches. BYU finished the regular season in 3rd place in the talented BIG 12 Conference. BYU is a fast and efficient offense: 81.2 points per game (26th nationally); 28.8 field goals per game (30th nationally); 37.3% from 3-point range (32nd nationally); 48.3% field goal percentage (23rd nationally). As you might expect, this high-powered offense also leads to their opponents having more opportunities to score. BYU allows their opponents to take 58.4 field goals per game (199th nationally). They also allow 26.4 3-pointer attempts per game (339th nationally). Alabama and BYU play a very similar game which could lead to a shootout. Where Alabama has an advantage is height. BYU’s Centers are 6’8 (Keita) and 6’6 (Traore). They do have a 6’9 forward, Kanon Catchings, but none of them match up to Alabama’s size. Jarin Stevenson, Grant Nelson, and Cliff Omoruyi are all listed at 6’11. Size advantage has already helped Cliff who is having a breakout NCAA tournament. We should expect more alley-oops to Cliff and Grant as Alabama is working with a significant height advantage. Alabama’s defense stepped up against Saint Mary’s, which was necessary as Bama lost the turnover margin. The defense needs to remain strong against a dangerous team like BYU as they will certainly take advantage of any turnovers Alabama may have.

Stars of the First Weekend:

Cliff Omoruyi: Cliff has been sensational in the first two games of the NCAA tournament. Cliff was a perfect 8/8 in field goal attempts in the first game scoring 17 points. He continued his streak, making his first 5 shots against Saint Mary’s and added 11 rebounds. With 2 blocks in each game, Cliff was a major contributor on the defensive side of the ball.

Mouhamed Diobate: Mo D delivered two great performances in the opening weekend. Mo was very efficient shooting 12/15 from the floor, 4 of 4 from 3-point range. 3-point play must not have been on Mo’s scouting report, as he’s taken advantage of wide-open looks. He scored 18 points in game 1 and 10 against Saint Mary’s. His scoring is up while he continues to dominate on the glass, pulling in a combined 15 rebounds across the contests.

Look for an update as the Tide continue their march to San Antonio. Roll Tide!

-Jake