Is Alabama still in March Madness? Looking at Nate Oats' chances of clinching 2024 NCAA tournament title
The Alabama Crimson Tide continued their NCAA Tournament run with a comfortable, 72-61 victory over Grand Canyon in the second round, a few days after dispatching Charleston, 109-96 in the first round.
With momentum on their side, are the Crimson Tide still in the NCAA Tournament and what are their chances to make some noise in future rounds?
Is Alabama out of the NCAA Tournament?
No, Alabama is still firmly in the thick of things in this year's March Madness. A team to watch out for, their matchup in the Sweet 16 promises to be their biggest test yet.
The match against the Alopes was a slugfest in every sense of the word. After a slow start, where Mark Spears kept Alabama afloat for 35 minutes, the team needed a jolt of energy.
The big man tallied 26 points and 12 rebounds, but it was a quick flurry from Mouhammed Dioubate, in place for the injured Latrell Washington Jr. that allowed the Crimson Tide to pull away.
Scoring nine points in the final 5.5 minutes, "Mo" was critical for the team to pull through. Both teams struggled from the field, shooting below 40%. Grand Canyon's struggles stuck out even more, especially the 2-for-20 night from 3-point land.
Notably, Charles Barkley felt "disgusted" with the game, claiming it was some of the worst basketball he'd ever seen:
"I want to congratulate Alabama University on advancing. It was a heck of a game. Grand Canyon -- that was the dumbest game of basketball I think I may have ever seen. Like everyone went 1-on-1. They missed how many free throws?"
Calling the coaching into question, he wasn't sure what the offensive game plan was for the Alopes:
"I'm not sure what they were doing offensively. I don't think they ran a play the entire second half...That was some of the dumbest basketball I've ever seen from grown, college men."
On the other side of the spectrum was Alabama's head coach Nate Oats. Relatively new in his tenure, he's already become a favorite for the fans and the players. Rylan Griffen in an interview after their match against Grand Canyon had high praise for Oats:
“He’s the GOAT, in my opinion. He hasn’t got a Natty yet but trust me, he’ll get a Natty. He’s the GOAT, seriously. Everybody’s gonna think that’s a hot take…there are a lot of good coaches out there but he’s unique. He finds a way to win.”
The Crimson Tide walk into the Sweet 16 as the No. 4 seed going against perpetual contenders, No. 1 UNC, making it their toughest challenge of the postseason leg yet.
Has Alabama ever won the NCAA Tournament?
The Alabama Crimson Tide has never won the NCAA Tournament. They've largely been overshadowed by the Alabama football program, which is, and has been historically, one of the best in the country.
The team has seen a rise in stature in the last couple of decades, particularly since the turn of the century. The team achieved its first No.1 ranking in the nation in 2003, the year they reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, the highest mark in the program's history.
The team with the second-most SEC tournament titles was retroactively given the pre-NCAA Premo-Porretta Championship of the 1929-30 season.
Last season, under head coach Nate Oats who holds an 8-6 record in the tournament, was the cumulative best season in the program's history.
Winning the SEC title, they came into the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 and reached the Sweet 16 round, where they lost to eventual runner-ups San Diego State.
When does Alabama face North Carolina?
The Sweet 16 round begins on Thursday with North Carolina and Alabama serving as one of the premier attractions from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The game is set to tip off at 9:39 p.m. ET on CBS.
The money line currently has Alabama as a four-point underdog, effectively signaling a close matchup between the two squads. The Tar Heels lost the last time these two teams faced off in November of 2022.
The matchup between RJ Davis and Mark Sears is the one fans are eagerly anticipating, with both holding virtually identical stats (21.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists for Davis, to 21.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists for Sears).
Do you think Nate Oats can lead his boys to the highest mark that Alabama has achieved in the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament? Let us know in the comments below.