Alabama basketball wins SEC, gets NCAA number one seeding
On Sunday, the University of Alabama men’s basketball team defeated Texas A&M in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) tournament championship game 82 to 63. The Bama men were 29 and 5 this year and 16 and 2 in SEC play, winning the SEC regular season. Alabama enters the NCAA tournament as the number one team in the Associated Press poll for only the second time in program history. CBS Sports rates Alabama as the number one team in the country for strength of schedule. Star Forward Brandon Miller has completely dominated the competition in his first – and likely last – college basketball season. The freshman has averaged 19.5 points per game, 8.2 rebounds per game, and two assists per game in one of the greatest seasons on the court by a Tide basketball player in program history. The six foot nine inch Miller is projected to be one of the top four picks in the upcoming NBA draft if he goes pro. Miller scored 23 points, had 12 rebounds, and four assists in Sunday’s championship game. Miller was named the SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player. He was also named to the 2023 SEC all-conference team Sunday. “The funnest part is coming out here, getting the win with my guys in the SEC championship,” Miller told reporters after the win. Coach Nate Oates is a contender for the Coach of the Year award. Alabama will begin its NCAA tournament run as the number one seed in the South bracket. The Tide was the number one team overall, according to the selection committee. Their first-round opponent is the winner of the Texas A&M Corpus Christie Islanders and Southeast Missouri State game. The Tide is a prohibitive favorite. The game will be in Birmingham, on Thursday at 1:45 p.m. and will be broadcast by CBS Sports. If Alabama gets by the TXAMCC v. SE Miss. St. winner, they will then play the winner of the Maryland and West Virginia game. Alabama’s magical season, in many ways, has been overshadowed by an incident that occurred off the court. Former Tide basketball player Darius Miles was indicted by the Tuscaloosa grand jury last week for the murder of 23-year-old Jamea Harris. The young mom and her boyfriend were at a club on the Tuscaloosa strip when according to the Tuscaloosa Police, Miles approached Harris, and a scuffle with Harris’s boyfriend ensued. A Tuscaloosa detective testified that Miles then texted Miller, who had dropped off Miles, to come back and bring Miles’ gun. Miller complied with the request. Harris and her boyfriend were attempting to leave the scene but, according to some press reports, were blocked in by Miller’s vehicle. Miles then allegedly gave the gun to a friend Michael Davis. Davis then fired the gun into the vehicle. Harris was killed. Both Davis and Miles have been indicted in the slaying, while Miller, arguably the most talented basketball talent in UA history, was not charged as an accessory. Coach Oates did not even suspend Miller for a game, though Miles was kicked off the team. Miller has faced chants of “lock him up” on road games since his reported involvement in the slaying has become public knowledge, and the killing has drawn national attention. The Auburn Tigers also made the NCAA tournament. They are the number 9 seed in the Midwest bracket and will play number 8 seed Iowa. The game will be in Birmingham. Some national sports pundits have complained that the Birmingham location was unfair to Iowa, who was the higher seed. Auburn finished 20 and 12 overall and 10 and 8 in SEC play. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
