Alabama Participates in Open Final Four Practice, Makes Final Preparations for Saturday’s Contest vs. UConn
4/5/2024 8:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Crimson Tide held a one-hour practice in front of fans, Max Scharnowski awarded the NCAA Elite 90 Award
PHOENIX – The Alabama men's basketball team continues making preparations for the 2024 NCAA Final Four contest on Saturday vs. UConn, as the Crimson Tide participated in an open practice for fans Friday afternoon in State Farm Stadium.
The highlight of the open practice came when senior Max Scharnowski was awarded the NCAA Elite 90 Award, given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA in this year's Final Four. Scharnowski, who also earned the SEC Community Service Award this year, has a 4.0 GPA as a pre-med major.
A couple of well-known athletes have made their way to the Alabama team hotel in downtown Phoenix to share some inspirational words, including NBA all-star Devin Booker and Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps.
"I'm a competitor and standing in front of you guys gives me chills because you have a cool opportunity tomorrow!" - @MichaelPhelps ???? https://t.co/B6Nlsl3Lvq pic.twitter.com/nuTNVvvRAi
— Alabama Men's Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) April 6, 2024
"I want to be a doctor"
— NCAA (@NCAA) April 5, 2024
The 2024 #Elite90 recipient for @marchmadnessmbb Maxwell Scharnowski of @alabamambb shares how he hopes to help and serve people with his degree! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/fIMXtxgZlE
The No. 4 seed Crimson Tide will take on the tournament's No. 1 overall seed UConn Saturday night in the second semifinal which is slated to tipoff Saturday night at approximately 5:49 p.m. PT (7:49 p.m. CT) and will be televised on TBS.
NCAA Final Four Events
- TUSCALOOSA
- The University of Alabama will host a watch party inside of Coleman Coliseum on Saturday, April 6 with doors opening to the public at 7 p.m. CT. Admission is free, and parking is available in the Coleman Coliseum lots and the Capstone Parking deck. No outside food or drink is permitted, and both concessions and merchandise booths will be open. Metal detectors and clear bag policy will be in effect.
- PHOENIX
- The Men's Final Four Fan Fest Presented by Capital One is taking place at the Phoenix Convention Center and opens Friday, April 5th at 12:00 MST and will remain open throughout the duration of the Final Four. Event details, hours of operation and ticketing information can be found here.
- The March Madness Music Festival is taking place at Hance Park with events beginning Friday, April 5th and concluding April 7th. More information regarding performers, scheduling of events and bag policies can be found here.
- The Men's Final Four Tip-Off Tailgate is taking place on the Great Lawn outside of State Farm Stadium. Attendance is free and more information regarding hours of operation and parking can be found here.
For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaMBB on X, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
