March Madness: Alabama blitzes into hoops territory now, too
Jahvon Quinerly #5 of the Alabama Crimson Tide shoots the ball against Tyrece Radford #23 of the Texas A&M Aggies during the first half in the SEC Basketball Tournament Championship game at Bridgestone Arena on March 12, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. Credit: Getty Images/Andy Lyons
For decades, Alabama’s men’s basketball team has existed in the shadow of its iconic football program.
This academic year, the Crimson Tide has turned.
Alabama’s basketball suddenly finds itself in an unfamiliar spotlight — after the football team missed the playoffs altogether — in more ways than one.
On Sunday, the NCAA Division I men’s basketball committee not only awarded the Crimson Tide their first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament but made them the top overall seed for the 68-team event that begins Tuesday.
The flip side of that attention was less flattering, as social media exploded with commentary on a subject that will follow Alabama however far its tournament journey goes.
Brandon Miller, a 6-9 freshman and the team’s best player, has continued to play despite reports that he delivered the gun that his teammate, Darius Miles, is alleged to have used in the fatal shooting in January of Jamea Jonae Harris.
It is a complicated, confusing case, but local officials have said Miller will face no charges.
He has continued to play at a high level, facing taunts from opposing fans, something that figures to continue throughout the NCAAs.
Alabama (29-5) is the top seed in the South Regional, followed by, in order, Houston (31-3) in the Midwest, Kansas (27-7) in the West and Purdue (29-5) in the East.
If the Big Ten champion Boilermakers, led by 7-4 Zach Edey, reach the regional semifinals, they will play at Madison Square Garden on March 23 and 25.
Kansas is seeking its second consecutive national title, a feat achieved only twice in the past half-century, by Duke in 1991 and ’92 and Florida in 2006 and ’07.
The Jayhawks lost in the Big 12 Tournament final without their coach, Bill Self, who was hospitalized last week undergoing undisclosed treatment. But he is due back for the NCAAs.
Selection committee chairman Chris Reynolds told CBS that six or seven teams were considered for No. 1 seeds, and noted that the top seeds all were consistent performers during the season.
By slotting Houston over Kansas, the committee denied Kansas the chance to play the regional semifinal and final in Kansas City; instead they would go to Las Vegas.
Reynolds cited the fact that Houston was competitive in every game but its most recent one, a 75-65 loss to Memphis in the AAC final on Sunday that the Cougars played without their best player, Marcus Sasser, who injured his groin in the semifinal.
Reynolds said injuries to key players played a complicating role in the seeding process at every level.
One team he mentioned specifically was Rutgers, arguably the most glaring snub among the teams left out of the field.
Reynolds did not name names, but he appeared to be referring to forward Mawot Mag. The Scarlet Knights (19-14) finished 3-7 after losing him to a torn right ACL in a victory over Michigan State.
Oklahoma State officially was the first team out, followed by Rutgers and North Carolina, which last year lost the championship game to Kansas.
North Carolina lost to Alabama on Nov. 27, 103-101, in quadruple overtime, a result that if reversed probably would have gotten Carolina into the field. Instead they became the first preseason No. 1 to miss the tournament since it expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
The Tar Heels joined another 2022 Final Four team, Villanova, on the sideline.
Duke, which lost to North Carolina in last year’s national semifinals, finished strong under first-year coach Jon Scheyer, winning the ACC Tournament and securing a No. 5 seed.
The No. 2 seeds are Arizona in the South, Texas in the Midwest, UCLA in the West and Marquette in the East. So Marquette could earn a return trip to the Garden, where it beat Xavier for the Big East championship on Saturday night.
Kentucky is seeded sixth in the East despite two losses to Vanderbilt, including one at Rupp Arena. The Commodores did not make the NCAA field.
The Big Ten and SEC led conferences with eight bids each, followed by seven for the Big 12, five each for the ACC and Big East and four for the Pac-12.
The field includes upstarts such as Kennesaw State, in its first Division I NCAA Tournament ,and Furman, which last played in the event in 1980.
It also includes brand-name programs and famous coaches, including Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, Gonzaga’s Mark Few and West Virginia’s Bob Huggins.
Two Hurley brothers are in the field — Bobby at Arizona State and Dan at Connecticut.
UConn, a No. 4 seed, will meet Rick Pitino’s Iona in the first round.
Pitino is a candidate for the vacant St. John’s job, so this could be a preview of conference battles to come with Hurley.
Howard, a 16 seed, is returning to the tournament for the first time since 1992, when it lost, 100-67, in the first round to Kansas. They have drawn Kansas again in the first round. Welcome back, Bison.
The tournament begins with the “First Four” in Dayton, doubleheaders on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by full 16-game first-round slates on Thursday and Friday.
The Final Four is in Houston on April 1 and 3.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
