From robberies to slaying giants, ranking the state’s most memorable March Madness moments
It’s March Madness time, with four teams from the state of Alabama qualifying for the NCAA Tournament field of 68. Only one team from the state has ever reached the Final Four, but Samford, UAB, Alabama and Auburn have a chance to experience their One Shining Moment starting this week.
In this edition of Sensational Sports Sevens, we rank the most memorable tournament moments involving Alabama teams. There have been some great moments delivered by Alabama and Auburn, but we also include some memorable games for UAB and South Alabama.
Let’s get to the rankings.
7. Bama and Auburn win at home: Just last year, Alabama was the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament (a first for a team from our state). Auburn was a No. 9 seed, but both the Tide and the Tigers were sent to Birmingham to open the tournament. Alabama won its two games to advance to the Sweet 16. Auburn, with the help of a partisan crowd, upset Iowa 83-75 then had No. 1 seed Houston on the ropes. The Tigers led by 10 points at the half before falling 81-64. It was a thrilling weekend of basketball at Legacy Arena.
6. The greatest team that almost never was: The last major college basketball team to go undefeated was Indiana way back in 1976. But the Hoosiers needed a highly questionable call to eliminate an Alabama team that may be the best in state history. Alabama was ranked No. 6 in the country and coming off a win over No. 3 North Carolina. The game was tight in the closing minutes when Indiana star center Kent Benson, playing with four fouls, charged into Alabama star Leon Douglas. Douglas was called for a blocking foul. Indiana went on to win 74-69 in Baton Rouge. Coach Bobby Knight would later say it was the closest the Hoosiers came to losing that season.