Alabama Basketball Receives 16th NCAA Tournament Bid
3/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
TUSCALOOSA - What started out as a quiet gathering turned into a jubilant celebration. The University of Alabama men's basketball players and staff watched the 2003 NCAA tournament selection show from Alabama's locker room in Coleman Coliseum and literally leapt for joy when the players and coaches heard Alabama's name called.
"It was very emotional for us," said Alabama sophomore point guard Mo Williams who was named All-Southeastern Conference, 3rd Team by the Associated Press earlier in the week. "Everybody was nervous, especially me. When that name came up it was emotional. You saw tears, you saw smiles. It was just thanking God for a second chance."
The Crimson Tide, 17-11 overall, is making its 16th NCAA tournament appearance in a match-up made in media heaven. Alabama, seeded tenth in the Midwest, will play Indiana, 20-12, the seven seed. Both teams will be coached by men who played basketball for the Crimson Tide. Alabama's head coach, Mark Gottfried was the starting guard on Alabama's NCAA Sweet 16 teams in 1985, 1986 and 1987. Mike Davis, Indiana's head coach, played for C.M. Newton as a freshman at Alabama in 1980 then for his final three seasons for Wimp Sanderson. Alabama advanced to the Sweet 16 in 1982, his junior season, and played in the tournament in 1983 as well. In fact, it was Davis and his Alabama teammates who got Alabama on an NCAA tournament roll in 1982. Alabama advanced to six consecutive NCAA tournaments beginning that season.
The teams will play one another on Friday, March 21 in Boston's FleetCenter. The winner of that game plays the winner of the Pitt (two seed) versus Wagner (15 seed) game to advance to Minneapolis and the March 27th Sweet 16. Game times have not been announced as television (CBS) dictates the tournament's tip times.
