Alabama Basketball: Tide path to Elite 8 opens with Tourney upsets

Alabama Basketball: As the Crimson Tide’s path to an Elite Eight clears, three rules of championship college basketball become especially important.

Several national experts have Alabama Basketball as a hot pick to make the Final Four. Such talk, as Nick Saban would bluntly describe it, is “rat poison.” A more sensible approach is to ask, can the Tide get to the second weekend? If it does, can it progress to an Elite Eight or Final Four?

Monday’s second-half of the NCAA Tournament Second Round will sift the field down to 16 teams. Maryland, considered one of the least likely teams to advance from the First Round, looked tough against U Conn. The Alabama Basketball team cannot afford to look ahead. Crimson Tide fans can and we do, with anticipation.

The Crimson Tide has received some bracket help. In its half of the East Bracket the No. 3, No. 6 and No. 7 seeds are out. Beat the Terrapins and the Tide will take on the 14-seed Abilene Christian team or the 11-seed UCLA Bruins. Both teams are better than their seeding indicates, but they will not be favored against Nate Oats’ team.

More: Alabama Basketball vs. Maryland Prediction

In the upper half of the East Bracket, the remaining four teams are stronger. Michigan, LSU, FSU and Colorado could challenge the Crimson Tide.

The NCAA Tournament is aptly named March Madness because every year there are stunning outcomes. Despite the craziness, there is never an undeserving team that wins it all. Three March Madness rules apply. Rule No. 1 – Small things matter; as in small differentials in turnovers, rebounding and shooting can determine outcomes between two closely matched teams.

Alabama Basketball does several things very well. Most of all it plays tough, tenacious defense and battles for every rebound and loose ball. As Nate Oats terms it, such ‘blue-collar’ effort exemplifies the toughness of champions.

Rule No. 2 – Everything matters at the Elite Eight and beyond. Talent mismatches are infrequent among the final eight teams. In most of the final games, any vulnerabilities will be exposed and exploited by an opponent.

Rule No. 3 – Champions need some luck on their side. Along the way, a Champion gets more good bounces than bad bounces.

At some point in the Tournament, the Crimson Tide will have to play one of its best games to win. The vagaries of Rule No. 3 cannot be controlled. But when the toughest of tests come, Rule No. 1 and Rule No. 2 will be key factors.

NCAA Tournament Second Round Games

The Crimson Tide tips off Monday night at 7:45 PM CST. The game can be seen on TNT.