Alabama basketball cruised to victory in its opening-round matchup of the NCAA Tournament. The Crimson Tide dominated No. 13 seed Charleston 109-96 Friday, shaking off the rust after its recent poor shooting performances and showing just how unstoppable its offense can be when it's clicking.

More importantly, Alabama survived a run. It buckled down when Charleston hung around in the first half and showed in chunks that its defense could be serviceable long enough to create its runs offensively. Alabama also kept its heads up when shots weren’t falling early, rather than let that affect its defense.

“Offense wasn't going very well,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “We were down 19-13 and we just locked in and got stops and we're able to make a 10-0 run and another 12-0 run. So, I think we showed a lot of maturity in that way to really guard in the first half, open up the big lead in the second half.”

Oats has established that the Big Dance is a new season for Alabama. In that season, the Tide is now 1-0, with an opportunity to make its second straight Sweet 16 appearance and trade Spokane, Washington for a trip to Los Angeles.

Standing in its way are the Antelopes of Grand Canyon. The 12-seed Antelopes (29-4, 17-3 WAC) knocked off 5-seed Saint Mary’s in the final game of the round of 64 Friday night.

While it's another mid-major matchup against another double-digit seed for the Crimson Tide, it cannot look past a feisty Grand Canyon side that had a strong fan presence inside Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena for its win over the Gaels. The Antelopes have lost just four games all season. They rank 50 spots above Charleston on KenPom and are a far more balanced side.

Oats made it clear. A healthy Alabama team playing 40 minutes on defense can make it to the second weekend. The Crimson Tide avoided playing the higher seed in its pod but will be tested mightily on both ends Sunday.

Here’s everything you need to know about Alabama’s clash against Grand Canyon in the NCAA Tournament.

Who: No. 4 seed Alabama (22-11, 13-5 SEC) vs. No. 12 seed Grand Canyon (29-4, 17-3 WAC)

When: 6:10 p.m. CT, Sunday, March, 24

Where: Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Spokane, Washington

Watch: TBS (Play-By-Play: Lisa Byington, Analysts: Steve Smith & Robbie Hummel, Sideline: Lauren Shehadi)

Listen: Crimson Tide Sports Network | SIRIUS/XM 134/201 (Play-By-Play: Chris Stewart, Analyst: Bryan Passink, Engineer: Tom Stipe)

Mark Sears: 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, junior

Stats: 21.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.1 apg 50.4% FG, 43.1% 3-pt

Aaron Estrada: 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, Graduate Student

Stats: 13.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.6 apg, 45.9% FG, 31.9% 3-pt

Latrell Wrightsell Jr: 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, senior

Stats: 9.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.5 apg, 43.9% FG 43.3% 3-pt

Rylan Griffen: 6-foot-6, 190 pounds, sophomore

Stats: 11.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.8 apg, 44.6% FG, 37.7% 3-pt

Grant Nelson: 6-foot-11, 230 pounds, senior

Stats: 12.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 49.4% FG, 26.7% 3-pt

Ray Harrison: 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, junior

Stats: 13.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.9 apg, 41.5% FG, 31.1% 3-pt

Collin Moore: 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, junior

Stats: 8.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.1 apg, 42.2% FG, 28.9% 3-pt

Tyon Grant-Foster: 6-foot-7, 210 pounds, senior

Stats: 19.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.7 apg, 44.8% FG, 33.1% 3-pt

Gabe McGlothan: 6-foot-7, 235 pounds, redshirt senior

Stats: 13.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 48.6% FG, 40.8% 3-pt

Duke Brennan: 6-foot-10, 250 pounds, sophomore

Stats: 7.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 0.5 apg, 58.0% FG, 50.0% 3-pt

Grand Canyon became the second No. 12 seed to pick up a win in this year’s tournament. The Antelopes are ranked No. 50 in KenPom, above the other No. 12 seed winner James Madison, as well as fellow double-digit seeds Yale and Duquesne, two teams that also pulled off upsets in round one. The Antelopes are also ahead of Power Five tournament teams Oregon and NC State.

The starkest difference between Grand Canyon and Charleston is the Antelopes’ ability on defense. They rank No. 41 in adjusted defensive efficiency and allow 66.9 points per game, which ranks No. 46 in the country. They also average 8.2 steals per game (No. 44 in DI).

Leading the charge for Grand Canyon is senior guard Tyon Grant-Foster. The former Kansas and DePaul man averages 19.8 points per game and led the Antelopes with 22 points against Saint Mary’s. His scoring comes on a 28.4% usage rate, according to Bart Torvik, the highest usage mark on the team.

At 6-foot-7, Grant-Foster becomes a matchup problem for Alabama’s smaller guards as he gives the Antelopes a size advantage over the Crimson Tide. Grand Canyon also starts 6-foot-7 forward Gabe McGlothan and 6-foot-10 Duke Brennan. Grant Nelson will likely matchup against Brennan, who sticks squarely in the paint, operating as Grand Canyon’s primary forward.

Who Alabama chooses to assign to McGlothan and Grant-Foster is a more difficult question. McGlothan is a better 3-point shooter (40.8%) than Grant-Foster, but still shoots 59.6% at the rim. Because of that versatility, McGlothan will likely be guarded by a versatile defender in Rylan Griffen, with one of Alabama’s smaller guards starting in a mismatch against Grant-Foster. McGlothan also leads Grand Canyon in rebounds with 7.2 per contest and had a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards against the Gaels. Griffen will have to be active on the glass, especially when McGlothan crashes off of missed 3s.

Both Griffen and Nelson will also have to have good awareness as help defenders with the possible mismatches defensively. Oats will also likely dip into his bench early should the Tide need better rim protection or better matchups when Grant-Foster and McGlothan drive to the basket.

The Antelopes' other two starters are guards Ray Harrison (13.7 points per game) and Collin Moore (8.2 ppg). Both are more traditional guards and should be assignments for Aaron Estrada, Mark Sears, or Latrell Wrightsell Jr., depending on which of the trio starts on Grant-Foster. In addition to his scoring, Harrison leads the Antelopes with 3.9 assists per game, while Moore is a strong perimeter defender and leads the team in steals with 1.8 steals per contest.

Alabama got a massive boost from its backups when the game was still in the balance Friday.

After it was down early in the first half, Mouhamed Dioubate and Mohamed Wague served as spark plugs. Despite not eating all day due to fasting for Ramadan, the pair each logged six points and four rebounds, helping Alabama turn the game on its head and take over.

The Mo’s combined for 12 of Alabama’s 37 bench points Friday. Along with Dioubate, Jarin Stevenson and Sam Walters were also able to find their footing as freshmen in the NCAA Tournament and will now be expected to do so again in a game that will likely remain much closer for much longer than Friday’s contest.

Oats has called upon his youngsters to play like upperclassmen all season long. They’ve done it in small chunks. Walters’ big shots helped Alabama to its only win over Florida. Dioubate has been an underrated spark plug all season and looks ready to be relied upon on the biggest stage. Stevenson has struggled but played big minutes for a decent chunk of SEC play when Wrightsell was out injured.

Alabama was able to overcome its shortcomings emphatically Friday, and may just be rediscovering its best form at the right time after going through some late-season adversity. Oats has continued to challenge his players on how badly they want to keep playing with and for each other. After the Charleston game, he said this group’s bond is what sets it apart.

“I think these guys have grown together and really come to love each other,” Oats said. “They want to keep playing together. People compared this team to two years ago because both teams’ defense wasn't great. I think this team is different. They really want to keep playing for each other. We’ve got a bunch of really good guys that want to keep this thing going as long as we can.”

Alabama managed to correct some of its early miscues on the glass Friday. Still, the Crimson Tide was outrebounded 42-34 and allowed Charleston to score 27 second-chance points from 17 offensive rebounds.

While The Antelopes aren’t as strong on the offensive glass, Alabama will still need an improved performance in that category against a Grand Canyon side that ranks No. 50 in Division I in rebounding, averaging 38.2 boards per game. In addition to Wague and Dioubate’s continued resurgence, Nelson will need to be more active on the glass after grabbing just one rebound against Charleston.

The Crimson Tide could use a better outing from Nick Pringle. The reserve forward logged a pair of double-doubles in Alabama’s final two SEC games but had just five points and two rebounds and committed three fouls in just 12 minutes Friday.

Staying out of foul trouble will also be key for Pringle and Company. Grand Canyon is excellent at drawing contact and attempts 25.2 free throws per game, which ranks seventh in Division I. Alabama did well to avoid fouling Charleston, keeping the Cougars out of the bonus until late in the first half. It will need to do the same against an Antelopes side led that is unafraid to get to the rim. If Grand Canyon reaches or goes beyond its average free throw shooting numbers and has success on the glass, it could spell doom for the Tide’s Sweet 16 hopes.