Alabama and BYU enter the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament as two of the top offensive teams in the nation. Why is Alabama better suited to win? We explain.
Where its neighbor across the Hudson gets all the glamour, hard work is done across the river on the Jersey side. Take note, Alabama. As you arrive in the land of refineries, that smell is … well, don’t worry about the smell.
And it could be one of those workmanlike assignments Thursday night as the Crimson Tide kicks off Sweet 16 play against BYU. The 6:09 p.m. CT tip in the Prudential Center pairs two of the best offensive teams in the nation. In terms of adjusted efficiency, these are two of the top 10 -- Alabama at No. 4 followed by BYU at No. 9.Casagrande: Alabama flirts with NCAA disaster but is it time to worry? The Cougars score at almost the same clip as the Crimson Tide .For a while now, Alabama has been known as a team that lives and dies by the 3-pointer. In the past, that may have been true. By comparison, BYU gets 39.3% of its points from the perimeter—the 18th most. T was 12-for-26 in the 91-89 win over Wisconsin in the Round of 32.Like its last loss, a 74-54 pounding from No. 1 seed Houston when the Cougars made just 6 of 28 shots from deep. That’s 21.4%.Alabama lost just three of its bottom 10. And that’s good news since it made just 13 of 38 attempts in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.That was buoyed by a 65.8 shooting percentage inside the arc in wins over Robert Morris and St. Mary’s. These were games when Clifford Omoruyi made his first 13 shots as the center, who knows New Jersey well, feasted. The Rutgers transfer missed just six shots in his last five games as Alabama pounded the paint with lobs to the 6-foot-11 presence. If 3-point shooters like Mark Sears continue to struggle outside, this could be another blue-collar game in the paint. Unlike in years past, Alabama’s got the balance to withstand some of the outside shooting slumps. Like the 2023 Sweet 16 when a 3-for-27 night against San Diego State contributed to the 71-64 loss. The Tide shot just 45.5% inside the arc that night.Alabama brings a much-improved group back to the Sweet 16 with a defensive efficiency rating that ranks 29th .Opponents shoot the ball well from the perimeter against the Cougars, so Sears might have daylight to break out if his 16-for-63 slide over the last six games. This is an All-American who made 43.6% of his 3s last year but is down to 32.9%. His season-long 3-point shooting percentage dropped nearly three points in the six-game span in which he made just 25.3%. Sears made half of his 18 shots from around the rim in the first two games of the tournament and shoots 84.9% from the foul line. That’s also key as Alabama arrives as the fourth-most fouled teams in the nation . That lead to an average of 25.6 foul shots a game -- No. 6 most in the nation. The Crimson Tide lost just one of its top 13 games in terms of free-throw shooting percentage and just one of the 11 in which it shot more than 30 foul shots.Alabama should be, too. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Why Ryan Grubb spurned Alabama twice, and why 2025 was right time to join TideNick Saban and Kalen DeBoer both tried to hire Ryan Grubb as Alabama football's offensive coordinator before. Why didn't he join the Crimson Tide in 2023 or 2024, and what made 2025 the right time?
Read more »
Casagrande: Alabama proves point in perfectly petty sequel at AuburnRound 2 of Alabama-Auburn basketball delivered a classic on the season's final day, sending the Crimson Tide to the postseason with some momentum.
Read more »
BYU Running Backs Shine on Day Six of BYU Football Spring CampPROVO, UT - The BYU football team was back in action on Tuesday night for an outdoor practice. The Cougars are approaching the midway point of 2025 Spring camp.
Read more »
BYU football: Treyson Bourguet makes his case for BYU's backup quarterback spotBYU football's quarterback room has cleared out quite a bit since Treyson Bourguet first arrived in Provo.
Read more »
Casagrande: Alabama flirts with NCAA disaster but is it time to worry?Alabama got a scare from tiny Robert Morris but is it reason to be concerned for the No. 2 regional seed?
Read more »
What you need to know about BYU, Alabama’s Sweet 16 opponentHere's a deep dive into BYU, who will face Alabama basketball in the Sweet 16 as part of March Madness and the NCAA Tournament.
Read more »