Now that Kristy Curry has turned her Alabama program into a yearly NCAA tournament participant, the next big event is to reach the second weekend of the dance. The Sweet 16 is something that Alabama has not seen since 1997, and it is looking like they will have to beat a very good Louisville team on the road to achieve this goal.
First and foremost, the Crimson Tide will have to handle business against Rhode Island, which won both the A10 regular season and conference tournament and comes into the tournament with an impressive 28-4 record. This is the Rams' first tournament appearance since 1996.
They are coached by former college basketball star Tammi Reiss, who has put her energy and toughness into her program. It is going to take a great effort for Alabama to beat them, but honestly, the talent level is different, so as long as the Tide come to play and not play with their food, they will then play Louisville on Sunday. The Cardinals are a very talented team and should have beaten Duke in the ACC Women's Championship Game, so it will take a special performance from the Alabama guards, especially, but the SEC slate of games should have Alabama ready.
Ta' Mia Scott and Jessica Timmons are both going to have to be special next weekend if Alabama plans on making it out of the Yum Center. This Louisville team is very talented, rarely loses at home, and earlier in the season played UConn and South Carolina better than a lot of teams, for whatever that is worth.
Obviously, this Crimson Tide team has seen this type of talent all season, so they will not be intimidated should they play the Cardinals in the round of 32. If Alabama does beat Rhode Island on Friday, it will be the first time since 1999 that the program has won at least one game in three straight NCAA Tournaments.