Alabama
20-16
Villanova University
32-4
Alabama Men’s Basketball Falls to No. 1 Seed Villanova in NCAA Tournament Round of 32
3/17/2018 2:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Collin Sexton scored a team-high 17 points to total 632 for the year, which ranks third on Alabama’s single-season scoring list
PITTSBURGH – The No. 9-seeded Alabama men's basketball team fell to No. 1 seed Villanova, 81-58, Saturday afternoon in the 2018 NCAA Tournament Round of 32 in PPG Paints Arena.
Freshman Collin Sexton led the Crimson Tide offense with 17 points to end his historic freshman campaign with 632 points, which surpasses Michael Ansley (1988-89) for third on Alabama's single-season scoring list. He also finished with the most made free throws in a season at UA (196).
After leading by five points at the break, Villanova's (32-4) three-point shooting took over in the second half, as the Wildcats converted 10-of-21 from beyond the arc to total 17 in the contest to move on to the Sweet 16.
Alabama's defense shined in the first half, as the Crimson Tide shot 47.8 percent (11-of-23) from the field and held Villanova to just 33.3 percent (9-of-27) from the floor, but the Wildcats' 7-of-20 three-point shooting gave them the 32-27 edge at the break.
Villanova held the 13-12 lead at the 11:52 mark until the Wildcat offense got into a rhythm, dropping a string of three-pointers to take the 22-15 advantage with 6:50 left in the half. However, Alabama answered back down the stretch and knocked down five of its last six shots to cut deficit to 29-27, but Villanova drained a late three-pointer to end the half up by five.
The Wildcats used that momentum to begin the second half converting eight-straight three-pointers in the first 10 minutes to average 47.6 percent from beyond the arc in the stanza, and 41.5 percent for the game. The Crimson Tide ended the contest shooting 41.7 percent (20-of-48) from the floor and held a 24-14 advantage in the paint.
Mikal Bridges led the Wildcat offense with 23 points – 22 coming in the second half along – while Donte DiVincezo and Jalen Brunson both reached double figures, scoring 18 points and 12 points, respectively.
The Crimson Tide ends its season with a 20-16 overall record, marking the first 20-win season in Tuscaloosa since 2012-13. Alabama advanced to its first NCAA Tournament since 2012 and won its first NCAA Tournament game since 2006.
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