How to watch: Alabama basketball vs. San Diego State in the NCAA Tournament

Alabama basketball is one win away from matching its furthest run in the NCAA Tournament. The top-seeded Crimson Tide will square off against No. 5 seed San Diego State for a Sweet 16 matchup Friday at 5:30 p.m. CT inside the Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

A victory over the Aztecs would send the Tide into the Elite Eight for just the second time in school history, matching the run made by the 2004 team, which reached the milestone before losing to eventual national champion Connecticut. If Alabama does advance, it will move on to the South region final Sunday against the winner of No. 6 seed Creighton and No. 15 seed Princeton.

Here's everything you need to know about Friday’s game.

Who: No. 1 seed Alabama (31-5) vs. No. 5 seed San Diego State (29-6)

When: 5:30 p.m. CT, Friday, March 24

Where: Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky

Watch: TBS (play-by-play: Ian Eagle; analyst: Jim Spanarkel; analyst Evan Washburn)

Listen: Crimson Tide Sports Network (play-by-play: Chris Stewart; analyst: Bryan Passink; engineer Tom Stipe)

Jahvon Quinerly: 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, senior

Stats: 8.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 3.6 apg, 40.7% FG, 35.7% 3-pt

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

Stats: 12.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.6 apg, 40.7% FG, 35.7% 3-pt

Brandon Miller: 6-foot-9, 200 pounds, freshman

Stats: 19.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.0 apg, 44.1% FG, 39.5% 3-pt

Noah Clowney: 6-foot-10, 210 pounds, freshman

Stats: 10.0 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 0.9 apg, 49.4% FG, 29.1% 3-pt

Charles Bediako: 7-foot, 225 pounds, sophomore

Stats: 6.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 0.7 apg, 65.6% FG

Darrion Trammell: 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, senior

Stats: 9.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.2 apg, 35.1% FG, 30.8% 3-pt

Lamont Butler: 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, junior

Stats: 8.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.3 apg, 41.3% FG, 32.4% 3-pt

Matt Bradley: 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, senior

Stats: 13.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.1 apg, 41.1% FG, 36.6% 3-pt

Keshad Johnson: 6-foot-7, 225 pounds, senior

Stats: 7.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 0.6 apg, 54.6% FG, 23.1% 3-pt

Nathan Mensah: 6-foot-10, 230 pounds, senior

Stats: 6.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 0.6 apg, 54.8% FG, 50.0% 3-pt

Brandon Miller claims he will be at full strength for Friday’s matchup. The freshman forward has been dealing with a groin injury he suffered during the SEC Tournament earlier this month and was reportedly at less than 100% health for Alabama’s first two wins of the tournament.

After going scoreless during Alabama’s first-round win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Miller recorded 19 points and seven rebounds against Maryland his last time out. Still, he struggled to find his shot, going 5 of 17 from the floor and 2 of 6 from deep. With a week to recover, Miller said he’s feeling like his old self in Louisville.

“Me and [team trainer] Clarke [Holter] spent a lot of time with it during the break,” Miller said Thursday. “So I feel like I can just go out here and compete with my team at 100 percent.”

Earlier this week, Miller earned the Wayman Tisdale Award as the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's National Freshman Player of the Year. The five-star forward leads the Crimson Tide with 19.1 points and 8.2 per game and is shooting a team-high 39.5% from beyond the arc.

They’re brighter, bouncier and beginning to draw some criticism from teams in the NCAA Tournament. You might have noticed a different shade of orange in the basketballs used in this year’s big dance. That isn’t the only difference the in the Wilson's Evo NXT game ball which has drawn some negative reviews lately.

Earlier this week, Gonzaga head coach Mark Few criticized the basketballs for being too slick and over-inflated. Thursday, Alabama guard Jahvon Quinerly chimed in, agreeing they do have a different feel on the court.

“I just feel like sometimes the balls are just a little too bouncy,” Quinerly said. “I don't think it's affected me personally this tournament, but, you know, it's been something that the guys talk about in the locker room.”

Alabama shot 15 of 33 (45.5%) from beyond the arc against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi but was just 6 of 21 (28.6%) from deep against Maryland. The Crimson Tide is shooting 33.8% from 3-point range over 36 games this season.

“You can pump up any ball to be too hard,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said Thursday. “It would be great if the referees actually made sure it was within the guidelines of how hard it's supposed to be pumped up because, obviously, if you pump it up to where it's a rock, you're not going to shoot as well. It's going to come off the rim every time it hits it.

“I don't see there's an issue with the ball. I think defenses get better. You look at the teams that are still winning. Most of them have pretty good defenses. When the defenses get better, shooting percentages go down. I'm sure the NCAA is on top of making sure the balls are all going to be correctly inflated and all that here for these Sweet 16 rounds. But we've got to do a great job of getting our shooters open shots. And I'm not going to be too worried about the ball. I'm going to worry about the stuff I can control.”

Regardless of the ball, San Diego State has one of the best 3-point defenses in the nation. The Aztecs rank sixth in the nation, holding opponents to a 28.8% success rate on shots beyond the arc.