Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball team are heading to their fourth straight Sweet 16 appearance following an impressive thrashing of the Texas Tech Red Raiders, 90-65, in Tampa on Sunday night.
From the opening tip, Alabama set the tone with relentless energy on both ends of the court. The Crimson Tide pushed the tempo early, creating easy transition opportunities while knocking down perimeter shots at an efficient rate. Texas Tech struggled to keep up, as Alabama’s offensive rhythm never allowed the Red Raiders to settle defensively.
Keys To Victory For Alabama
Defensively is where you have to start with this game for the Crimson Tide. Alabama was impressive for 40 minutes. The Tide applied constant pressure, forcing turnovers and turning defense into offense.
Alabama’s elite defense turned into offense and allowed the Tide to run in transition and either attack the rim or find open guys behind the arc, where they connected on 19 of 42 3-point attempts. Senior guard Latrell Wrightsell racked up 24 points to help lead the Tide’s offensive surge.
Alabama also dominated on the glass, hauling in 47 rebounds compared to just 35 from Texas Tech.
Alabama Flexed its Depth
One of the biggest takeaways from the impressive performance by Alabama was the contributions from the bench. Houston Mallette, Noah Williamson, and Taylor Bol Bowen combined for 28 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists off the bench for the Crimson Tide.
Mallette was without question the most impressive role player, collecting 15 points on 5-7 from the 3-point line and 8 rebounds, 5 of which were offensive boards.
Mallete was also honored as Alabama’s “Hard Hat Award” winner following his heroic effort.
What’s Next For Alabama?
Up next for Coach Oats and the Crimson Tide is a battle in the Sweet 16 against No. 1 seed Michigan.
The Crimson Tide and Wolverines are set to tip on Friday, March 27, from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, at 7:35 p.m. Eastern.
With a win, Oats and Alabama will have reached the Elite Eight for the third consecutive season. Before Oats, Alabama had only reached the Elite Eight once in the program’s history.
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