Alabama Basketball: Crimson Tide rolls past Maryland into NCAA Sweet Sixteen

Alabama Basketball: Crimson Tide exploded on the Maryland Terrapins and blew into the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen.

The Maryland Terrapins led by six points, six and a half minutes into the game. Afterward, it was all Alabama Basketball. It took the Crimson Tide six minutes to erase the Maryland lead and go up by eight points at the 7:22 mark of the first half. After that, the Terrapins never got closer than six points.

Leading by eight points at the half, the Crimson Tide pushed its lead to 20 points at 15:33 of the second half. The Terrapins did not give up, but Maryland coach, Mark Turgeon had no answer for the Crimson Tide 96-77, offensive onslaught.

After the game, Turgeon admitted,

"Not the way we wanted to go out…it got away from us…we’re a good defensive team but we were a step slow. We couldn’t guard ’em."

In fairness to Turgeon and his players, college basketball does not have a team that can slow the Tide when it plays as it did Monday night.

The six-point favorite Crimson Tide did everything well. The Tide made 53 percent of its field goals, including 48.5 percent outside the arc. At the foul line, the Tide was a perfect 10-for-10. The rebound margin was 40-19 in favor of the Crimson Tide, with 15 offensive boards, compared to four for Maryland.

Except at the foul line (3-for-7) Maryland also shot the ball well, making 53.3 percent. The Terrapins even made 10, threes. The Tide was six better, with 16 from outside the arc. Jaden Shackelford led Alabama in scoring with 21 points. John petty Jr. had 20 points, followed by Jahvon Quinerly with 14, Alex Reese with 13 and Josh Primo with 10 points. Juwan Gary started instead of Jordan Bruner and led the Tide in rebounding with seven boards and six points.

Speaking after the game, Nate Oats said,

"Really happy for our guys. It’s been a long time since they played in a Sweet 16 here. The offense was bound to come. I told them after the first game, let’s just lose ourselves in the game and the blue collar stuff."

Oats also said on Monday, he talked to Rick Pitino, who told him the Tide offense would come around and,

"He said all his UK/UL teams, the hardest games to coach were the first ones."

Two wins is too soon for too much celebrating. Alabama Basketball has work left. On Sunday the Tide will take on UCLA, with the winner getting either Florida State or Michigan two days later. One more win will match the Tide’s deepest NCAA run ever. Two more wins and it is the first Final Four for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The under-valued Pac 12 conference has four Sweet 16 teams, The highly valued Big Ten has one. Bill Walton knew something no one else knew.