After a 90-70 win over Hofstra in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the fourth-seeded Crimson Tide will face fifth-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders men’s basketball in the Round of 32 on Sunday.
Alabama (24-11) pulled away late against Hofstra behind a dominant performance from Labaron Philon, who scored 29 points as the Tide advanced.
Now, head coach Nate Oats says the focus quickly shifts to a Texas Tech team that has adjusted after losing All-American forward JT Toppin earlier this season.
“I don’t think we’ll spend a whole lot of time on anything before Toppin went out,” Oats said. “I think we spend most of our time looking at their games since Toppin went out, and they’re still very good. They’ve got a lot of shooting, very good guard play.”
Texas Tech (23-10) advanced with a double-digit win over Akron and has leaned on guard play and perimeter shooting to compensate for Toppin’s absence.
The matchup features two of the more productive offenses in the country. Alabama leads the nation in scoring at over 90 points per game, while Texas Tech averages more than 80 points per contest.
Despite the comfortable final score against Hofstra, Alabama was tested early and trailed by double digits in the first half before responding.
“They’re tough, they’re good, they’re super talented,” Oats said of tournament opponents after the win.
The Tide ultimately used depth and rebounding to take control, outlasting Hofstra with a strong second-half surge.
Sunday’s matchup is expected to be tightly contested. Alabama opened as a slight favorite, with the spread hovering around a one-possession game heading into tipoff.
Tipoff is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. CT on TBS.
The winner of tomorrow’s game between Alabama and Texas Tech will face No. 1-seed Michigan next week in the Sweet 16 in Chicago.
The Wolverines beat Saint Louis, 95-72, in the Round of 32.
