Alabama Crimson Tide: 19-15, 8-10 in the SEC
Head coach: Avery Johnson (3rd season)
Players to watch: Collin Sexton (19.0 PPG, 3.5 APG, 44.4 FG%); Donta Hall (10.9 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2.1 BPG); John Petty (10.1 PPG, 38.8 FG%)
Season recap: Sure, Alabama might be known for its football team, but the Crimson Tide—thanks in particular to diaper dandy Collin Sexton—have shown why they can also be a basketball school. Sexton, the No. 7 prospect in last year's recruiting class, earned co-SEC Rookie of the Year honors with Kentucky's Kevin Knox and carried his team to a pair of conference tournament victories, including a buzzer-beating win against Texas A&M to secure their at-large bid.
Although head coach Avery Johnson's squad had some bad losses during nonconference play, falling to Minnesota on a neutral floor in New York and at home against Central Florida, it redeemed itself with some strong victories. Alabama took out archrival Auburn in Tuscaloosa, topped Oklahoma and Trae Young during the Big 12/SEC Challenge and added big wins at Florida and at home against Tennessee.
At times, Sexton has dominated the Crimson Tide's offense, but they have also shown that they have other options. With just two road wins, though, it remains to be seen whether Alabama can earn victories off its home floor.
How they make a run: Sexton continues to dominate after scoring nearly 80 combined points in three SEC tournament games. Behind its superstar freshman, Alabama continues its roll and takes out a top seed to make its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2004.
How they falter: Teams key in on Sexton, holding him to fewer than his season average, and the Crimson Tide just don't have enough to make up for his offensive absence, as they go quietly sometime in the first weekend.
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Twitter: @mpgladstone13
A junior from just outside Philadelphia, Mitchell is probably reminding you how the Eagles won the Super Bowl this year and that the Phillies are definitely on the rebound. Outside of The Chronicle, he majors in Economics, minors in Statistics and is working toward the PJMS certificate, in addition to playing trombone in the Duke University Marching Band. And if you're getting him a sandwich with beef and cheese outside the state of Pennsylvania, you best not call it a "Philly cheesesteak."