Getty Image
The Alabama basketball team extended its season another game on Sunday with a win over Grand Canyon in the NCAA Tournament, booking a ticket to the Sweet 16 in the process.
With the team landing in the West bracket, they’ve opted to hang out on the coast as opposed to heading back to Tuscaloosa.
Nate Oats said as much in a recent appearance on the Paul Finebaum Show this week.
Nate Oats says on @finebaum the Crimson Tide did not return to Tuscaloosa after Sunday’s win over Grand Canyon.
Alabama flew from Spokane to L.A. on Monday and went to a Clippers game on Monday night. Bama will remain in L.A. ahead of Thursday’s game vs. UNC.
— Brandon Zimmerman (@BZSEC) March 26, 2024
Keep in mind that spring break has come and gone for Alabama students – which caused more than a few reactions online.
“Who needs class?!?”
“So much for the ‘student’ in student-athlete.”
“Athlete-student.”
Scheduling likely contributed as the team caught a bit of a short stick having to turn around and play on Thursday after having played on Sunday night. Others, like Bama’s next opponent UNC, will get four days of rest before suiting back up as opposed to three.
The Tide played their first two NCAA Tournament games in Spokane, and they’ll play their next in Los Angeles.
So, rather than return to the Yellowhammer State, the team booked a hotel in sunny SoCal and took in the sights. That included a Clippers game on Monday night, though the home team fell to the Indiana Pacers 133-116.
The decision to stay should keep the Crimson Tide well-rested as it preps for the Sweet 16.
Alabama takes on top-seeded North Carolina on Thursday night.
The Tar Heels made light work of Wagner and Michigan State in their first two games, and they’ll enter the matchup with Bama as the favorite. At the time of this writing, that projected advantage is 4.5 points.
Alabama, too, dispatched each of their first two opponents by double digits, setting up for a heavyweight showdown in the Round of 16.
North Carolina had the luxury of starting its tournament at home, essentially, in Charlotte. While that may have been beneficial for the first weekend, they’ll now have to make the coast-to-coast trip ahead of weekend No. 2.
Alabama can sit back and relax – while maybe completing a little online homework in the meantime!