Alabama
Virginia Tech
Alabama and Virginia Tech Ready to Square Off in 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Thursday Night
3/14/2018 10:08:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Tide and Hokies will tipoff at 8:20 p.m. CT (9:20 p.m. ET) on TNT
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama men's basketball team will face Virginia Tech in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 15 at approximately 8:20 p.m. CT (9:20 p.m. ET) at PPG Paint Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The Crimson Tide (19-15) earned the No. 9 seed in the East Region as an at-large selection, while the Hokies (21-11), who were also chosen at-large, earned the No. 8 seed. The two teams will tip off at 8:20 p.m. CT on TNT.
Alabama advanced to its first NCAA Tournament since 2012 with the selection to this year's event. It marks the Crimson Tide's 20th NCAA appearance in school history, but it's just the second showing since 2006. UA made five consecutive tournaments from 2002-06.
The tournament trip is the 20th in program history and its first since 2012. UA is 18-19 all-time in the tournament and has advanced to the Sweet 16 seven times and the Elite Eight once (2004). The appearance is also the first for any current member of the Crimson Tide. Head coach Avery Johnson, a former NBA Coach of the Year and in his third season at Alabama, will also make his tournament debut.
THE BROADCAST
• Thursday's game will air on TNT with Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Dan Bonner and Dana Jacobson on the call.
• The radio broadcast can be found on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with Chris Stewart (play-by-play) and Bryan Passink (analyst) on the call, with the pregame show beginning at 7 p.m. CT on the Crimson Tide Sports Network.
OPENING TIP
• Thursday's matchup will mark the 15th meeting between Alabama and Virginia Tech with the Crimson Tide leading the all-time series 9-5, however it will be the first meeting between the programs since 1989.
Alabama reached the 1987 Sweet 16, which was later vacated, along with its 2-1 record in that year's event, due to an NCAA violation. With that removed, Alabama has made seven Sweet 16 appearances in program history, with the last coming in 2004. That was the same year that the Tide made its lone Elite 8 showing.
• Alabama is 7-10 in games away from Tuscaloosa this season and holds a 5-2 mark in neutral site contests.
• Only six teams in the nation have more quadrant 1 wins than Alabama's seven such victories this season.
• The Tide owns a record of 6-2 when playing a top-25 opponent this season, which is tied for tops in the nation. The ranked opponents Alabama has defeated during the season (all ranking at time of the game) include: No. 5 Texas A&M (12/30), No. 17 Auburn (1/17), No. 12 Oklahoma (1/27), at No. 23 Florida (2/3), No. 15 Tennessee (2/10) and vs. No. 16 Auburn (3/9).
• With Friday's win, Alabama advances to the SEC Tournament semifinals for the second consecutive season. Head coach Avery Johnson has record of 5-3 in SEC Tournament action, including guiding the Crimson Tide to two wins in the tournament in each of the last two seasons. He has led Alabama to three straight SEC Tournament quarterfinal appearances and back-to-back SEC semifinal showings.
• Alabama freshman Collin Sexton is coming off an incredible showing at the Southeastern Conference tournament last weekend on his way to earning a spot on the All-Tournament team. Sexton began the weekend by going for 27 points, capped by sprinting the length of the court in 4.4 seconds to hit the game-winner in a 71-70 victory over Texas A&M in the second round. He followed that performance with 31 points and seven assists in a 81-63 win over top-seeded and No. 16-ranked Auburn in the quarterfinals. In the semis against No. 4 seed Kentucky, the Mableton, Ga., native collected 21 points to set the Alabama tournament scoring record of 79 points. For the week, Sexton averaged 26.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, while shooting 54.3 percent (25-of-46) from the field and 58.8 percent (10-of-17) from beyond the arc.
• Alabama has won six games over AP Top-25 opponents this season, holding a 6-2 record against ranked foes, which is tied for the most AP Top 25 wins by any team this season. It's also the first time in program history the Tide has won five games over AP top-25 teams in a single season, bettering the four ranked victories accomplished four other seasons (1982-83, 1986-87, 2001-02, 2015-16), Alabama owns wins over then-No. 5 Texas A&M, then-No. 17 Auburn, then-No. 12 Oklahoma, then-No. 23 Florida and then-No. 15 Tennessee this season. The only ranked opponents Alabama has lost two have both come on the road, coming to then-No. 14 Minnesota back on Nov. 25 in Brooklyn, N.Y., and most recently to No. 12 Auburn on Feb. 21.
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama reached the semifinals of the 2018 Southeastern Conference Tournament for a second consecutive season, defeating No. 8 seed Texas A&M, 71-70, and No. 1 seed and 16th-ranked Auburn, 81-63 before falling to eventual tournament champions in the semifinals.
• The Tide is averaging 72.4 points per game and outscoring the opposition by 2.4 points per contest (72.4-70.0). As a team, Alabama is connecting on 45.8 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from beyond the arc. The Tide owns a +0.2 edge on the boards (36.3-36.1) and a +5.7 advantage in points in the paint (34.0-28.3).
• In addition to blocking shots, the Alabama defense is allowing opponents to shoot 41.3 percent from the field, which ranks 41st in the nation, and 31.9 percent from deep, which is 25th-best in the country. The Tide is also averaging 6.4 steals and 5.5 blocks a contest.
• In league games, Alabama ranked as one of the top defensive teams in the conference. During SEC play, Alabama led the league in blocks per game (5.4), ranked second in field goal percentage defense (.403) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.305), while finishing third in steals (6.4) and fourth in scoring defense (68.1).
• Alabama ranks 23rd nationally in free throws attempted (778) and 52nd in the nation in free throws made (523). Just over 21 percent of Alabama's point total (523 of 2,460 points) has come from the charity stripe. That number could be more, however, the Tide's 67.2 percent foul shooting ranks 307th in the nation.
• Three players are averaging double-figure scoring for the Tide, led by freshman Collin Sexton's 19.0 ppg. That number not only tops the team, but ranks second in the SEC. Sexton also tops the team in assists (3.5 apg) and field goals made (182) and attempted (410). Freshman John Petty ranks third on the team with 10.1 ppg and tops UA in threes made (83) and attempted (229), while his 2.4 treys made per game ranks sixth-best in the SEC.
• Junior Donta Hall leads the Tide in field goal percentage (.721, 145-of-201), which would lead the country but he's just shy of meeting the minimum requirement of 5.0 or more field goals made per game (Hall is at 4.53 makes per game). Hall also tops the team in dunks (69), rebounds (6.9 rpg) and blocks (2.1 bpg), while ranking second with 10.9 points per game. Sophomore guard Dazon Ingram is averaging 9.9 ppg, and ranks second on the team in rebounding (5.6 rpg) and assists (2.6 apg) a game.
SCOUTING VIRGINIA TECH
• Thursday's matchup will mark the 15th meeting between Alabama and Virginia Tech with the Crimson Tide leading the all-time series 9-5. The two sides last met on Dec. 5, 1989 in Blacksburg, Va., as the Hokies defeated the then-No. 21 ranked Crimson Tide, 76-75. Prior to that contest, the Tide had won the previous five meetings dating back to 1973-74. The two teams have played in neutral sites on six occasions, with Alabama leading 4-2 in such contests.
• Virginia Tech comes into the contest with a 21-11 overall record and finished 10-8 in the ACC. The Hokies boasted five quadrant 1 wins and an RPI over No. 61 in the country (NCAA.com). Virginia Tech averages 79.7 points per game and outscores its opponents by an average of 7.9 points per contest (79.7-71.8). The Hokies shoot 49.8 percent from the field as a team, which ranks 10th in the nation, and 38.5 percent from beyond the arc, which is 37th-best nationally. However, Virginia Tech is being outrebounded by -1.5 rebounds per game (33.0-34.5)
• Five players average double figures for the Hokies this season, led by Justin Robinson's 13.8 points, 5.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Justin Bibbs is second on the team in scoring at 13.1 ppg, while Kerry Blackshear Jr. (10.8 ppg) and Ahmed Hill (10.5 ppg) also average double digits.
• Virginia Tech head coach Buzz Williams comes into Thursday's game with an all-time record of 228-145 (.611) in his 11th season at the helm of a men's basketball program. Now in his fourth season at VT, Williams owns a record of 75-59 (.559).
ALABAMA-VIRGINIA TECH – SERIES NOTES
• Thursday's matchup will mark the 15th meeting between Alabama and Virginia Tech with the Crimson Tide leading the all-time series 9-5. The two side last met on Dec. 5, 1989 in Blacksburg, Va., as the Hokies defeated the then-No. 21 ranked Crimson Tide, 76-75. The Tide had won the previous five meetings dating back to 1973-74.
• The two teams have met in neutral site contests on six occasions, with Alabama owning a 4-2 edge in the series in those contests. Of those six games, two have come in postseason play (NIT), with the Tide winning both contests.
• Alabama and Virginia Tech have played two common opponents this season. Both teams played Ole Miss, with the Hokies taking an 83-80 overtime decision on Dec. 2 in Oxford, while the Tide fell at Ole Miss, 78-66, back on Jan. 23. Both teams fell to Kentucky, the Hokies dropping a 93-86 contest in Lexington on Dec. 16 and the Tide falling twice to the Wildcats, 81-71 in Rupp Arena and 83-60 last Saturday in the SEC Tournament semifinals.
• The Tide has won seven of the last nine meetings vs. the Hokies. The first game in the series began in 1927.
ALABAMA NCAA TOURNAMENT QUICK HITS
• Alabama is making its first tournament appearance since 2012 and just the second since 2006.
• The Tide has played 18 games against teams that made the 2018 NCAA Tournament, going 9-9 in those contests.
• Alabama will make its 20th NCAA appearance in 2018 and owns an all-time record of 18-19 (.486).
• The last time the Crimson Tide won an NCAA Tournament game came on March 16, 2006, when seventh-seeded UA captured a 90-85 victory over No. 10 seed Marquette in San Diego, Calif.
• Alabama has just one win in three previous tournament as a No. 9 seed (2012, 1994 and 1984).
• Alabama will make its third consecutive postseason appearance under head coach Avery Johnson. The Tide reached the NIT in each of Johnson's first two seasons.
• Alabama has made 35 postseason appearances in program history, including 20 NCAA and 15 NIT showings.
• This will be the first NCAA appearance for every player on the Crimson Tide roster.
• Alabama has never played a college basketball game in the city of Pittsburgh in its 106-year history.
ALABAMA AS A NO. 9 SEED
• The Crimson Tide holds a 1-3 record as a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament. In fact, the last time UA made the NCAA Tournament in 2012, the Tide was a No. 9 seed that lost to No. 8 seed Creighton 58-57 in Greensboro, N.C.
• Alabama earned its first win as a No. 9 seed after defeating No. 8 Providence, 76-70, in 1994 in Lexington, Ky. before advancing to take on No. 1 seed Purdue in the Round of 32. The Tide fell to the Boilermakers 83-73.
• The other time UA came in as a No. 9 seed was in 1984 when the Tide lost to No. 8 Illinois State 49-48 in Lincoln, Neb.
SEC TEAMS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
• Alabama was one of a record eight Southeastern Conference teams who earned a bid to the 2018 NCAA Tournament on Sunday night. It is the most selections in one season in the NCAA Tournament in the history of the SEC.
• In addition to the Tide's No. 9 seed in the East Region, Arkansas clinched a No. 7 seed and will play No. 10 seed Butler in Detroit, Mich., on Thursday, while Florida earned the No. 6 seed and will play the winner of St. Bonaventure vs. UCLA in Dallas on Thursday.
• In the South Region, Kentucky is a No. 5 seed and will play No. 12 seed Davidson in Boise, Idaho, on Thursday, while Tennessee gets a No. 3 seed and will play No. 14 seed Wright State in Dallas on Thursday.
• In the Midwest Region, Auburn was awarded a No. 4 seed and will face No. 13 seed Charleston in San Diego, Calif., on Friday.
• In the West Region, Missouri gets a No. 8 seed and will play No. 9 seed Florida State in Nashville, Tenn., on Friday, while Texas A&M earns a No. 7 seed and will face off against No. 10 seed Providence in Charlotte, N.C., on Friday.
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