Sports
Physical Aztecs Outmuscle Alabama In Sweet Sixteen To End Tide's Memorable Season
San Diego State outmuscled Alabama to claim the first Sweet Sixteen victory in Mountain West Conference history.
TUSCALOOSA, AL — One of the most memorable seasons in program history for Alabama men’s basketball came to an end Friday with a 71-64 loss to No. 5 seed San Diego State in the Sweet Sixteen in Louisville, Kentucky.
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The win for San Diego State represents the first Sweet Sixteen victory for a team from the Mountain West Conference.
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No. 1 seed Alabama struggled early with fouls and couldn’t get into a rhythm from the floor, trailing 28-23 going into the locker room at the half. The Aztecs went 12-for-37 on field goals in the first half, while Alabama struggled in going 8-for-29.
San Diego State also won the turnover battle in the first half, 7-5.
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After briefly grabbing the lead and the momentum in the game's second stanza, the Aztecs outmuscled the Tide with its size and physical style of play — namely senior forward and Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year Nathan Mensah, who recorded 5 blocks in the win.
In what is most likely to be his final game in a Crimson Tide uniform, SEC Player of the Year and National Freshman of the Year Brandon Miller scored 9 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Junior guard Mark Sears led the Crimson Tide in scoring in the loss, notching 16 points and recording two assists.
Despite the season coming to an end earlier than many expected, the Crimson Tide achieved many feats on the year, including winning 30 games for the first time in school history.
The Sweet Sixteen appearance for Alabama was the second during the Nate Oats Era, as the Tide won both the SEC regular season title, along with winning the SEC Tournament.
The Aztecs will now face the winner of No. 6 seed Creighton (23-12) and No. 15 Princeton (23-8), with the two squads set to play Friday night at 8 p.m.
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