Alabama basketball will be a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament where it will open up against No. 15 seed Iona in the first round on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT inside of Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The game will be televised on TBS.
Earlier in the day, Alabama (24-6) won its first SEC tournament title since 1991, beating LSU, 80-79, in the championship game. The Crimson Tide also earned the SEC regular-season title, making it the only Power Five school to win both of its conference championships this season. Iona (12-5) advances to the tournament after winning the MAAC tournament on Saturday. The Gaels are coached by two-time NCAA champion Rick Pitino.
During a Zoom call Sunday evening, Alabama head coach Nate Oats said he does not have a personal relationship with Pitino but stated he did look up to the Hall of Famer early in his coaching career.
"I respect him," Oats said. "I remember having his coaching tapes when I was back in high school and I knew I wanted to coach. He's a Hall of Fame coach, been doing it at a high level for a long time. Got a lot of respect for what he's done."
Iona has played just 17 games this season, the second-fewest of any team in this year's tournament. However, Oats said that shouldn't present a challenge in terms of preparation.
"They played enough, so we can tell what they're about," Oats said. "It's not like you'd watch 30 games anyways. You're going to watch their last half dozen games, figure out which close games they had, watch the end of all their close games. ... I think it's more of an advantage for us that our guys are more experienced and played more than them, to be honest with you."
Alabama will be part of the East Region which features No. 1 seed Michigan. If the Tide is able to get past Iona it will move on to face the winner of No. 7 seed Connecticut and No. 10 Maryland in the second round. The East Region also features No. 8 seed LSU, setting up what could be a fourth meeting between the Tide and the Tigers this season.
“I have full faith we can take the NCAA tournament by storm and win the whole thing,” Alabama point guard Jahvon Quinerly said following the Tide's victory over LSU earlier in the day. “I know how hard we work. We have the best coaching staff in the country who just prepares us each and every game. And I have full faith if we lock in and do what we’ve got to do, we’ll be crowned again. So, there is more work to be done.”
Alabama’s seeding in this year's tournament is tied for its highest in program history as the Tide also entered the tournament as a No. 2 seed in 1987 and 2002. This will be Alabama’s 21st appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Tide’s deepest run came in 2004 when it reached the Elite Eight as a No. 8 seed.
Alabama last reached the Big Dance in 2018 when it was a No. 9 seed. That year’s team took down Virginia Tech in the first round before falling to eventual national champions Villanova in its next game.
Only four players on Alabama’s current roster remain from that team in Herbert Jones, John Petty Jr., Alex Reese and walk-on Tyler Barnes. Graduate transfer Jordan Bruner advanced to the NCAA tournament with Yale in 2019 as the No. 14 seed Bulldogs fell to No. 3 seed LSU in the first round.
While this is Nate Oats’ first NCAA tournament appearance with Alabama, the second-year head coach is no stranger to the Big Dance himself. Oats took Buffalo to the NCAA tournament three of his four years as head coach, earning two first-round wins, including an upset of No. 4 seed Arizona in 2018.
NCAA TOURNAMENT GAMES
West Region
Games will be played on Saturday, March 20
No. 1 Gonzaga (26-0) vs. No. 16 Norfolk State/Appalachian State
No. 8 Oklahoma (15-10) vs. No. 9 Missouri (16-9)
No. 5 Creighton (20-8) vs. No. 12 UC Santa Barbara (22-4)
No. 4 Virginia (18-6) vs. No. 13 Ohio (16-7)
No. 6 USC (22-7) vs. No. 11 Wichita State/Drake
No. 3 Kansas (20-8) vs. No. 14 Eastern Washington (16-7)
No. 7 Oregon (20-6) vs. No. 10 Virginia Commonwealth (19-7)
No. 2 Iowa (21-8) vs. No. 15 Grand Canyon (17-6)
South Region
Games will be played on Saturday, March 20
No. 1 Baylor (22-2) vs. No. 16 Hartford (15-8)
No. 8 North Carolina (18-10) vs. No. 9 Wisconsin (17-12)
No. 5 Villanova (16-6) vs. No. 12 Winthrop (23-1)
No. 4 Purdue (18-9) vs. No. 13 North Texas (17-9)
No. 6 Texas Tech (17-10) vs. No. 11 Utah State (20-8)
No. 3 Arkansas (22-6) vs. No. 14 Colgate (14-1)
No. 7 Florida (14-9) vs. No. 10 Virginia Tech (15-6)
No. 2 Ohio State (21-9) vs. No. 15 Oral Roberts (16-10)
Midwest Region
Games will be played on Friday, March 19
No. 1 Illinois (23-6) vs. No. 16 Drexel (12-7)
No. 8 Loyola-Chicago (24-4) vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech (17-8)
No. 5 Tennessee (18-8) vs. No. 12 Oregon State (17-12)
No. 4 Oklahoma State (20-8) vs. No. 13 Liberty (23-5)
No. 6 San Diego State (23-4) vs. No. 11 Syracuse (16-9)
No. 3 West Virginia (18-9) vs. No. 14 Morehead State (23-7)
No. 7 Clemson (16-7) vs. No. 10 Rutgers (15-11)
No. 2 Houston (24-3) vs. No. 15 Cleveland State (19-7)
East Region
Games will be played on Saturday, March 20
No. 1 Michigan (20-4) vs. No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s/Texas Southern
No. 8 LSU (18-9) vs. No. 9 St. Bonaventure (16-4)
No. 5 Colorado (22-8) vs. No. 12 Georgetown (13-12)
No. 4 Florida State (16-6) vs. No. 13 UNC Greensboro (21-8)
No. 6 BYU (20-6) vs. No. 11 Michigan State/UCLA
No. 3 Texas (19-7) vs. No. 14 Abilene Christian (23-4)
No. 7 Connecticut (15-7) vs. No. 10 Maryland (16-13)
No. 2 Alabama (24-6) vs. No. 15 Iona (12-5)
