Who, when, where Alabama plays in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament
It’s the third time Alabama reached this round in its last four NCAA Tournament appearances. But Alabama has only advanced past the Sweet 16 once in program history, going just one game further to the Elite 8 in 2004 a No. 8 seed.
To get to the Elite 8 this year, Alabama’s got one of its biggest tests of the season in front of it. So who will Alabama face next?
Who: No. 1 seed North Carolina
It will be Alabama’s first game as the underdog this tournament and it comes against one of the biggest historic powers of the sport. After beating a No. 13 seed and a No. 12 seed, Alabama will meet the top-seeded Tar Heels in the Sweet 16.
KenPom lists North Carolina as a two-point favorite immediately after Alabama’s win, projecting an 86-84 loss for head coach Nate Oats’ team.
North Carolina beat No. 16 seed Wagner and No. 9 seed Michigan State in its path to the Sweet 16.
North Carolina has the 15th-rated offensive efficiency and sixth-rated defensive efficiency per KenPom. It’s the best defense Alabama has faced since losing to Tennessee’s third-rated group on March 2 in Tuscaloosa.
The Tar Heels are led by RJ Davis, a key piece of the team’s Final Four run in 2022 and now emerged into an AP first team All-American. Davis is scoring 21.3 points per game.
The two sides have played twice before, splitting the matchups. Alabama won a memorable quadruple overtime thriller over North Carolina 103-101 in Nov. 2022 in Portland, Oregon.
North Carolina won the first matchup, beating Alabama 76-67 in 2019 in the Bahamas.
When: Approx. 8:49 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 28
The NCAA lists 8:49 p.m. CT as the approximate tipoff time. But that is really more of a guess. Alabama’s game will begin after a brief warm up period following the conclusion of No. 6 seed Clemson vs No. 2 seed Arizona. That game is slotted to begin at 6:09 p.m. CT.
It will be aired on CBS.
It’s a relatively quick turnaround for Alabama.
The team is expected to travel directly to Los Angeles from Spokane, which could be beneficial as it remains in the Pacific time zone the whole time. Otherwise, Alabama could be flying back to Tuscaloosa just to likely turn around within 48 hours. Staying out west makes far more logistical sense.
Below is the full TV schedule.
Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
Alabama got slotted in the West Region which plays its Sweet 16 and Elite 8 matchup in Los Angeles.
It’s a second postseason trip to LA for Alabama sports this year after losing to Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
Matt Cohen covers sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at [email protected]