Alabama Basketball: Complete Crimson Tide NCAA Tournament History
By Ronald Evans
Mar. 17, 1983 – Midwest Regional First Round – Houston Texas
Lamar 73 – Alabama Crimson Tide 50
Lamar was the regular-season Southland Conference Champion and the winner of the Southland Conference Tournament. They were better than Tide fans and the Alabama Basketball team expected. A flat Crimson Tide hung with the Cardinals for a half and then was blown off the court.
The loss did not look quite so bad when Villanova barely edged Lamar by two points, two days later. Among Crimson Tide fans the game created doubt Wimp Sanderson was a suitable successor to C.M. Newton.
Mar. 16, 1984 – Midwest Regional First Round – Lincoln, NE
Illinois State 49 – Alabama Crimson Tide 48
In 1984, Alabama Basketball was fortunate to get an at-large bid. Wimp’s team dropped its last three regular-season games. The resume got a big boost by beating LSU in overtime in the SEC Tournament, followed by a two-point loss to Kentucky. Not ranked all season, the Tide’s No. 9 seed was generous.
Oddly, there were only four free throws shot in the game. The two teams were as evenly matched on that day as the final score indicated. It was another disappointing Tide loss, as doubts about Wimp grew.