Alabama
Villanova University
Alabama Men’s Basketball Set to Face No. 1 Seed Villanova in NCAA Tournament Round of 32
3/16/2018 4:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Crimson Tide looks to advance to its first Sweet 16 since 2004
PITTSBURGH – The No. 9-seeded Alabama men's basketball team will square off against No. 1 seed Villanova on Saturday at 11:10 a.m. CT (12:10 a.m. ET) at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. The third-round contest will be broadcasted live on CBS.
The Crimson Tide is looking to advance to its first Sweet 16 since 2004. Alabama has reached seven Sweet 16s and one Elite Eight (2004) in program history.
Saturday's matchup will mark the fourth meeting between Alabama and Villanova, with the Crimson Tide leading the all-time series 2-1. The last time the two teams met on the hardwood came in the 2012 2K Sports Classic championship game, when Alabama ran away with a 77-55 victory on November 16 in Madison Square Garden.
Alabama's last bout with a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament came in 2004 where the Tide downed Stanford, 70-67, on March 20 to advance to the Elite Eight. Current assistant coach Antoine Pettway was a member on the Crimson Tide's team that season.
UA is coming off a magnificence performance, after taking down the No. 8-seed Virginia Tech Hokies in the second round in Pittsburgh. As a whole, Alabama shot a scorching hot 60 percent from the field (30-of-50) and knocked down eight three-pointers to pick up its first NCAA tournament win since 2006.
Freshmen Collin Sexton and John Petty led the charge, combining for 45 points. Sexton dropped 25 points to become the eighth player in program history to score 600 points in a single season (currently has 615), while Petty registered his third 20-point game after draining 6-of-8 threes.
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