Alabama Struggles In NCAA Tournament Loss To Notre Dame As Season Comes To A Close

SAN DIEGO — No. 6 seed Alabama (19-14) saw its 2021-22 men's basketball season come to a disappointing close Friday afternoon in Viejas Arena, falling 78-64 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to No. 11 seed Notre Dame (24-10).

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The Fighting Irish rode the sharp shooting of Cormac Ryan, who scored 18 points in the first half on his way to a career-high 29 points.

Senior Keon Ellis led the Tide in scoring for the afternoon, going 6-for-11 from the floor for 16 points, in addition to grabbing nine rebounds. Junior guard Jaden Shackelford also added 13 points in the losing effort, while JD Davison and Juwan Gary both topped double-figures in points.

Notre Dame will now move on to the second round, where they will face No. 3 Texas Tech (26-9), while Nate Oats' third season as the Crimson Tide's basketball coach comes to an end. The Red Raiders made easy work of No. 14 Montana State 97-62 on Friday in their first-round win.

The loss for the Tide caps off a season that saw its struggles down the stretch, but also saw Alabama win on the big stage against national powerhouses in back-to-back games — No. 3 Gonzaga and No. 14 Houston — in addition to a win over No. 3 Baylor in January.

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