No. 2 seed Alabama cruised its way to an 80-66 win against No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s to advance to the Crimson Tide's fourth Sweet 16 in five years.
After struggling on the glass in their first round matchup, Nate Oats challenged his team to be stronger on the glass, and his team answered. The Crimson Tide’s rebounding helped prevent second chance opportunities for Saint Mary’s while allowing the offense to speed up the tempo.
Here are a few takeaways from the game.
Group Effort
Against not only one of the slowest-paced teams but also one of the better defenses in the country, it took a group effort to score the basket. Alabama finished with six guys in double figures, ranging from 10 to 13 points. The group effort helped the Crimson Tide score 80 points, something that hadn’t been done to Saint Mary’s in over 100 games.
Three Point Shooting the Difference
The three-point shot was a huge difference-maker in the game. Alabama’s three-point shooting wasn’t spectacular, but it was much better than their counterpart. The Crimson Tide went 7-for-17 while holding Saint Mary’s to just 3-for-14 from behind the arc. The 17 attempts were a season-low for three-point attempts.
Controlled the Paint
It was clear where Alabama wanted to score its points on Sunday. Alabama won the battle in the paint by outscoring the Gaels 42-30. Alabama got another solid performance from big man Clifford Omoruyi. Omoruyi finished with a double-double, pulling down 11 rebounds and scoring 10 points. Most of his damage was via alley-oops and dunks. Grant Nelson also put in the blue-collar work inside the paint, scoring 12 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
Pushed the Tempo
Going into the matchup, Alabama knew its style of play would clash with Saint Mary’s. The Crimson Tide want to run, and the Gaels like to slow it down. Alabama was able to speed the tempo up consistently throughout the game. The Crimson Tide finished with nine fastbreak points while holding the Gaels to zero.
Alabama will take on No. 6 seed BYU on Thursday in the Sweet 16 in Newark, N.J.
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