CLEVELAND — The University of Alabama men’s basketball program turned the page on its first Final Four appearance the moment the players received their commemorative rings in October for last spring’s run. Coach Nate Oats knew his team needed to get a little deeper and more athletic while finding more balance to go even further this season.
Two games into the 2025 NCAA tournament, the Crimson Tide certainly look up to the task.
Chris Youngblood had 13 points to lead six Alabama scorers in double figures, and the second-seeded Tide powered their way past seventh-seeded Saint Mary’s 80-66 on Sunday at Rocket Arena, reaching the Sweet 16 for a third straight year.
The Southeastern Conference’s Tide (27-8) will face sixth-seeded BYU (26-9) of the Big 12 in the East Region semifinals Thursday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. And after needing decades to break through to the NCAA semifinals for the first time, the nation’s highest-scoring team looks every bit a threat to reach college basketball’s biggest stage yet again.
“It’s tough to guard us when you’ve got six guys capable of getting double digits,” Oats said.