Alabama basketball guard Rylan Griffen recalls eating a Rice Krispy Treat on the sideline. It’s the second overtime of Alabama’s high-intensity clash against North Carolina and Griffen needs some energy.
The snack would have to last Griffen two more overtimes as Alabama was able to outlast UNC 103-101. Mark Sears played 55 minutes in the game. Griffen and Nick Pringle and Griffen contributed from the bench and had to maintain energy on the sidelines when they weren’t playing.
“That game right there was a war, man,” Sears said. “Four overtimes. After the first two overtimes it was like, man, when is this thing going to end? It was definitely a fun matchup, you know, especially for most of the same players being on the team we're going to go against.”
Over a year later, Alabama coach Nate Oats’ willingness to schedule a tough nonconference foe is benefitting the Crimson Tide. It isn’t the same UNC team. But thanks to last year’s affair Oats and a few Crimson Tide players had the chance to learn the tendencies of the Tar Heels’ stars Armando Bacot and RJ Davis. The pair combined for 39 points in the four-OT outing, and both returned in 2023-24. Guard Seth Trimble also played in that game and now averages 5.1 points and 2.2 rebounds in just over 17 minutes per contest as a sophomore.
In addition to Bacot, Davis and Trimble, Oats also has familiarity with Tar Heels guard Cormac Ryan. The graduate spent three years at Notre Dame and dropped 29 points on Alabama in the 2022 NCAA tournament, when the Irish upset the Tide in the first round.
“We tried to recruit him when he went in the portal. The kid destroys you like that, it would be good to add him to the roster. We were not successful in our recruitment of him. He picked another pretty good basketball program, and here we go. So we've got to try to figure out how to stop him a second time.”
In addition to the Tar Heels, Alabama has familiarity with much of the teaming teams in the tournament. Should the Tide get past North Carolina on Thursday, it will face the winner between No. 2 seed Arizona and No. 6 seed Clemson — both the Tigers and Wildcats defeated the Crimson Tide earlier this season.
Oats hasn’t been shy about scheduling tough nonconference games to prepare his team this season. He’s been right for the most part. Despite starting 6-5 and failing to pick up a marquee against Purdue, Creighton and Arizona, Alabama’s noncon seemed to prepare it for SEC play. It rattled off 13 SEC wins and finished third in the conference.
Oats’ tough schedule might not have had the ultimate payoff in SEC play. Alabama lost some momentum at the back end and crashed out of the SEC Tournament. But the Tide is still alive in the competition that matters most.
“I think our non-conference schedule got us ready for this,” Oats said after the Grand Canyon game. “Four teams in the non-conference are all in the Sweet 16 and we lost to all four, but I thought we got better from it. So our defense is getting better as the year goes on.”
After playing against two teams that it knew little about in the opening rounds, Alabama now faces a side it has some recent history against. The Tar Heels are a massive step above the Cougars and the Antelopes, which makes any extra tape all the more vital for Alabama’s success Thursday.
Griffen might need another Rice Crispy Treat. But if Alabama plays finds the same intensity and stamina that got it through its thriller against the Tar Heels last season, it could find itself making its second Elite Eight Appearance in school history.
