The University of Alabama men’s basketball team defeated Maryland 73 to 51 on Saturday in round 2 of the NCAA tournament and advanced to “the Sweet 16.” Cross-state rival Auburn University lost to Houston 64 to 81 in its second-round game.
The Crimson Tide men cruised through their second NCAA tournament game.
Jahvon Quinerly led all scorers for Alabama with 22 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. He is a 6-foot-1-inch Senior guard from Hackensack, New Jersey.
All-American forward Brandon Miller bounced back on Saturday with 19 points after suffering a groin injury in the Tide’s opening-round game and being held scoreless. The six-foot-nine-inch Freshman from Antioch, Tennessee, also had 7 rebounds and 1 shot block. The basketball phenom is projected to be among the top 3 players in this year’s NBA draft.
Charles Bediako had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 1 assist. Bediako is a 7-foot-10-inch Sophomore center from Brampton, Ontario.
Mark Sears had 6 points, 5 rebounds, and three assists. Sears is a 6-foot-1-inch Junior guard from Muscle Shoals.
Head coach Nate Oats, in his fourth year leading the Tide. He is now 4-2 in NCAA Tournament games in Tuscaloosa. Alabama has appeared in the NCAA Tournament in three of his four seasons as the head coach. This is the second time he has led the Tide to the sweet 16. He lost to UCLA in the regional semifinals in 2021.
In the history of Alabama men’s basketball, only Kentucky has won more SEC basketball tournaments than Alabama. Bama is tied for second behind Kentucky in SEC regular season titles. Bama won both the SEC regular season and SEC tournament titles this year. Deep NCAA tournament runs are, however, rare for the Tide. In 2004 Alabama advanced to the elite 8 under Coach Mark Godfrey. The Tide had 5 Sweet 16 appearances under Coach Wimp Sanderson in the 1980s.
The Tide entered the tournament as the Associated Press number one team in the country and as the number one overall seed in the tournament.
Over 15,000 people packed Birmingham’s Legacy Arena at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center on Saturday to watch Alabama defeat Maryland.
The Auburn Tigers, a nine seed, lost to Houston, the number-one seed in the Midwest Region. Under the NCAA’s quirky scheduling, that game was also in Birmingham on Saturday.
Sophomore Johni Broome led the Tigers in the loss with 14 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 blocked shot. The 6’10” forward is a native of Plant City, Florida.
Jaylin Williams had 14 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. The 6-foot-8-inch forward is a native of Mahunta, Georgia.
Allen Flanigan had 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists. The 6-foot 6-inch senior guard is from Littlerock, Aransas.
Wendell Green Jr. had 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists. Green is a 5 foot 11 inch Guard from Detroit, Michigan.
The Tide will play San Diego State, a number 5 seed, next. That game is scheduled for Friday at 4:30 p.m. at the KFC Yum Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
Alabama is now in the Sweet 16 for the eighth time in the program’s history. If they win their next game, they advance to the elite 8.
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