Five quick facts about Alabama's first opponent in the NCAA Tournament

Alabama basketball knows who its first-round opponent will be in this year’s NCAA Tournament, now it’s time to learn a little more about them.

The No. 1 seed Crimson Tide is set to face No. 16 seed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday at 1:45 p.m. CT inside Birmingham’s Legacy Arena. The Islanders earned their way to the matchup by beating fellow No. 16 seed Southeastern Missouri State 75-71 in Tuesday night’s play-in game.

Here are five things to know about Texas A&M-Corpus Christi ahead of the matchup.

The Islanders are without one of their most important players as senior point Terrion Murdix suffered a season-ending knee injury in Southland Conference Tournament.

Murdix earned Southland Defensive Player of the Year honors after leading the conference and ranking No. 14 nationally with 2.9 steals per game. He also averaged 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and a team-high 5.4 assists per game while shooting 48.9% from the floor and 34.3% from beyond the arc.

Even without Murdix, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi has plenty of talent in the backcourt. Senior guard Trevian Tennyson is averaging a team-high 15.6 points per game and also leads the Islanders in 3-point percentage (40.8) and free-throw percentage (89.9). Meanwhile, fellow senior guard Jalen Jackson posted a career-high 22 points to go with six rebounds against Southeastern Missouri State.

While Murdix played a big role in Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s defensive success, the Islanders could still cause headaches without him. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi ranks No. 31 in the nation, forcing 15.42 turnover per game. With Murdix on the bench Tuesday night, the Islanders tallied 12 takeaways.

Turnovers have been Alabama’s Achilles' heel this season. The Crimson Tide has averaged 18.4 giveaways over its five losses this season. While it will take a lot for the Islanders to pull an upset, turnovers could certainly make things ugly.

Like their sister school, Texas A&M, the Islanders have a knack for getting to the line. The Islanders rank inside the top 40 nationally averaging 21.5 free-throw attempts per game. Their ability to draw fouls was showcased Tuesday night as they got to the line 35 times against Southeastern Missouri.

When the Islanders draw fouls, they usually make their opponents pay. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi ranks No. 6 nationally shooting 79% from the free-throw line. Tuesday night, the Islanders were a hair under their average, hitting 27 of their 35 attempts from the stripe.

Tennyson is one of five players on the team shooting 82% or better from the line, joining senior guard Ross Williams (85.4%), senior forward Isaac Mushila (83.7%), senior guard Simeon Fryer (82.6%) and Murdix (82.6%).

Along with lighting it up from the line, the Islanders are also deadly from beyond the arc. While Texas A&M-Corpus Christi was just 4 of 18 from deep Tuesday night, the Islanders rank in the top 50 nationally, shooting 38.6% from 3-point range.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi only averages 21.1 shots from beyond the arc compared to Alabama’s 29.8 but isn’t afraid to let it go when their shooters are left open. Led by Tennyson’s 40.8% success rate, the Islanders have eight players who shoot 32% or higher from beyond the arc.

Listed at 6-foot-5, 208 pounds, Mushila is a bit undersized at the forward position. However, the Congo native has come up big in terms of production. Mushila leads the Islanders with 9.7 rebounds per game and ranks second on the team averaging 14.4 points. He recorded his 13th double-double of the season Tuesday night, finishing with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Mushila has been especially hot lately, averaging 15.8 points and 10.6 boards while shooting 51.2% from the floor, including 4 of 7 from deep over his last five games. It will be interesting to see if he can keep up that production against a lengthy Alabama lineup Thursday.