The Alabama Crimson Tide have cruised into the Sweet 16 with relative ease and less resistance than expected. Of course, no one expected Texas A&M Corpus Christi to present a big challenge, but when the bracket was first revealed, the matchup against Maryland/West Virginia was one that looked like it could be a bit tricky.
After a back and forth first round game, Maryland was able to come back and defeat West Virginia and advance to face Alabama, and Kevin Willard’s squad was a dangerous one, ranked in the top 25 in many metrics, and most importantly, top 40 in KenPom’s both adjusted offense and adjusted defense.
But while a sloppy end to the first half led to the Crimson Tide only having a five-point lead at the break, this one never really felt in doubt at all for Alabama. Brandon Miller looked more like himself, scoring 19 points on no minutes restriction (he played 34) and impacting the game on both ends. Perhaps most notably on this sequence, which really allowed Alabama to seize control:
THIS SEQUENCE FROM BRANDON MILLER š±#MarchMadness @AlabamaMBB pic.twitter.com/NhUxH5VQMH
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 19, 2023
Jahvon Quinerly was nothing short of phenomenal as well, scoring 22 points and going 4/6 from the 3-point line. Now, Alabama will turn its focus to San Diego State, who they will face on Friday for a chance to make the Elite 8 for the first time in almost 20 years. If they can knock off the Aztecs, they will get one of Creighton or Cinderella Princeton with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
The opportunity is there. The window is open. The Crimson Tide are two wins away from going to a place they have never been before. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.
