NICK ALVAREZ al.com Alabama men’s basketball is headed to Spokane, Washington, to start its quest for a national title. The Crimson Tide earned a four seed in the NCAA Tournament and a matchup with No. 13 Charleston in the round of 64.
It is the ninth time since 2004 that UA is in March Madness and the fourth time under Nate Oats. Twenty years ago, Alabama reached the Elite Eight — its deepest run, which the program honored earlier this season. With an explosive offense and four-guard starting lineup, Oats will attempt to break the Sweet 16 wall he hit in 2021 and again last year.
Yet, for as productive as the scoring has been, Alabama’s defense is the biggest question mark. It ranks 112th in adjusted defensive efficiency and Rylan Griffen, who Oats has deemed their best perimeter defender, is battling a calf injury. Alabama’s guards have been continually pressed to track shooters better while the bigs have struggled with foul trouble. UA has conceded 100-plus points thrice since Feb. 24.
“These guys are going to have to decide how bad they want to win in the NCAA Tournament, how much we want to continue to play defense for 40 minutes.” Oats said on Friday night after dropping its first game in the SEC quarterfinals.” If we play defense for 40 minutes, we can play with anybody in the country. If we decide to take 24 minutes off from the defensive end, it’s going to be hard to beat anybody in the NCAA tournament.