No. 1 Alabama Faces No. 16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in First Round of NCAA Tournament

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Top-ranked Alabama team will begin the 2023 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament as the overall No. 1 seed for the first time in program history and will open its tournament run against No. 16 seed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Thursday afternoon inside Legacy Arena. The Islanders advanced to meet the Crimson Tide by toppling No. 16 seed Southeast Missouri State 75-71 in Tuesday night's First Four matchup in Dayton, Ohio.

Alabama is making its 23^rd NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and third showing in as many years which is the first time that's happened in 30 years (1989-92). In fact, head coach Nate Oats has guided UA to a tournament appearance in each year at the helm of the program in which the event was held (cancelled in 2020). The Crimson Tide owns a record of 21-22 (.488) in all time NCAA Tournament contests which includes eight Sweet 16 appearances, the last coming just two years ago in 2021.

The first round matchup features nine players amongst both teams that earned all-conference selections, highlighted by First Team All-SEC selection Brandon Miller and First Team All-Southland selections Terrion Murdix and Isaac Mushila.

The Broadcast

Thursday's game is set for an 1:45 p.m. CT tipoff and will be aired on CBS with Jim Nantz (play-by-play), Bill Raftery (analyst), Grant Hill (analyst) and Tracy Wolfson (sideline reporter) on the call.

The radio broadcast can be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with Chris Stewart (play-by-play) and Bryan Passink (analyst) on the call, while Tom Stipe (engineer) is turning the dials. The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.

Westwood One radio will also be airing the game with Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play) and Stephen Bardo (analyst) on the call.

Notes You Need To Know

For the first time in program history, Alabama earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament
The Crimson Tide received the No. 1 overall seed in this year's event and is joined by fellow No. 1 seeds Houston (Midwest), Purdue (East) and Kansas (West)
It marks the second time in three years that head coach Nate Oats has led Alabama at a No. 2 seed or higher in the tournament (No. 2 seed and Sweet 16 appearance in 2021)
This is the third consecutive NCAA Tournament showing for UA in three years, the first time that's happened at UA in more than 30 years (1989-92)
Out of the Tide's 34 contests, 18 games (12 teams) were played against teams that reached the NCAA Tournament with UA holding a 14-4 (.778) record in those contests
Oats has a record of 2-2 in NCAA Tournament game as the head coach at Alabama and owns a 4-5 (.444) record across his five previous tournament appearances as a head coach
Oats has guided his teams to NCAA Tournament appearances in six of the seven years the event was held during his coaching career, including each year as the Tide's head coach (tournament was cancelled in 2020 due to the worldwide pandemic)
Alabama captured both the SEC regular season and tournament championships in the same year in two of the last three years, the first time that's happened in program history
Alabama has won a program-record 29 wins this season, surpassing the 2001-02 team for most wins in a single season (27)
Alabama is 16-16 against AP Top 25 teams during Nate Oats' tenure
Alabama's newcomers have scored 2,144 of UA's 2,794 points (76.7%) this season led by Brandon Miller's 19.6 ppg
Brandon Miller became the first freshman in SEC history to win SEC Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Tournament MVP in the same season
Including Miller's accolades, a school record six players were named to All-SEC teams this season (complete list on page 10)
Miller is 79 points from tying UA'a record for most points scored in a single season, set by Reggie King (747 points) during the 1978-79 season

Brandon Miller Eyes National Awards

Miller set the program record for most points ever scored in a Freshman season, surpassing Collin Sexton's 632 points.
Miller is the only player in Division I this season and one of three players (Shane Battier, Duke and Dylan Windler, Belmont) in the last 30 years to score 665 points, record 280 rebounds and make 100 three-pointers this season
Miller became the fourth player in the last 50 years to led the SEC in scoring as a freshman joining Bernard King (1975), Chris Jackson (LSU) and Cameron Thomas (2021)
Alabama's freshmen have scored 51.7% (1,445 points) of the Tide's points this season

About Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is making its third NCAA Tournament appearance in school history and second in a row. A&M-CC secuted the program's first-ever tournament win with the victory over Redhawks.
The Islanders have won three conference championships over the past two seasons after back-to-back Southland Conference Tournaments and the 2023 SLC regular season title outright
The Islanders enter Thursday's game having won 13 of the last 14 games and became the first school to win the SLC Tournament in back-to-back years since UL-Monroe in 1992-94 (tournament titles were vacated from Stephen F. Austin in 2015 and 2016).
Head coach Steve Lutz hoists a 46-22 (.676) overall record in two seasons. He was named both the 2023 SLC Coach of the Year and NABC District 22 Coach of the Year. Lutz was also tabbed a finalist for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year award, presented to those who not only achieve success on the court but who display moral integrity off of it as well.
The Islanders landed three All-Conference selections for the first time in program history. Seniors Terrion Murdix and Isaac Mushila were tabbed to the first team and senior Trevian Tennyson to the second team.
Murdix became just the second SLC Defensive Player of the Year in program history along with Rashawn Thomas in 2015-16. Murdix was also on the All-Defensive Team in the second year in a row. He led the league in steals and ranks 12th in the nation with 2.34 per game and is also 19th in the country in assists per game (5.6)
A&M-Corpus Christi garnered a pair of SLC All-Tournament honorees including senior Jalen Jackson (Tournament MVP) and Tennyson. Both averaged 15.0 points per game in the wins over McNeese and Northwestern State.

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