For the third year in a row, Nate Oats has led Alabama basketball into the Sweet 16 and with a win over BYU, the Tide would advance to the Elite Eight for just the third time in program history.
To get here, Alabama held off a strong challenge from 15-seeded Robert Morris in the 1st Round and then kept Saint Mary's at arm's length on the way to an 80-66 win in the 2nd Round.
Alabama's effort was very much in question in the win over Robert Morris, but the Crimson Tide responded with the required effort and defensive intensity against the Gaels and put together one of its better 40-minute efforts on the defensive end of the season to get to the Sweet 16.
For BYU, the 6-seeded Cougars held off a talented mid-major in VCU in the opening around and then pulled off an upset of 3-seeded Wisconsin 91-89 in the 2nd Round.
The Cougars present a major challenge having won 11 of their last 12 games heading into this matchup. BYU's only loss in that span was to Houston in the Big 12 Tournament.
Kevin Young has changed the fortunes of BYU in a major way in his first season on the job. The former Phoenix Suns assistant brings an NBA pedigree to Provo, and this is probably the worst team he will have during his tenure with the Cougars. BYU has an alumni base with deep pockets, prepared to spend at a level that ensures consistent success for the basketball program. They've already proven it by landing AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 recruiting class.
Oats has been effusive in his praise of the job Young has done with BYU and knows this game will present a tremendous challenge for his Crimson Tide.
Players to know for BYU
BYU is led by sharpshooting junior wing Richie Saunders, who leads the team in scoring at 16.3 points per game while shooting 43% from three-point range. He's one of the best shooters in the country and Alabama will have to keep tabs on him at all times.
Young's system keeps four and even five-out at all times. It's not dissimilar to what Oats runs at Alabama so nothing will catch the Tide off-guard. But they are extremely dangerous because they have at least three, if not four, shooters on the floor at all times.
One of the only inconsistent shooters in their rotation is freshman guard Egor Demin. The Russia native shoots only 28% from three, but stuffs the stat sheet otherwise and leads the team in assists. He's a tough guard at 6-foot-9 with point guard skills. He's the engine that makes the BYU offense go.
The Cougars are one of the only teams Alabama will face that can comfortably match them depth-for-depth. BYU goes nine or 10 deep with ease. No players on the team average over 30 minutes per game. Even with the season on the line against Wisconsin, Saunders is the only one who hit 30 minutes against the Badgers.
Senior guard Trevin Knell is a high-level shooter as well, connecting on 44% of his attempts from three. Junior Dawson Baker and senior Mawot Mag both shoot better than 38% from three.
Junior Keba Keita starts at the five, but is a bit undersized at 6-foot-8. That doesn't matter much as Keita is one of the better rebounders in the country despite his size. Alabama should have a distinct advantage inside if Cliff Omoruyi and Grant Nelson attack the boards the way they are capable of.
The Cougars will at times go even smaller with 6-foot-6 senior Fousseyni Traore playing minutes at the five. He's not as good of a rebounder as Keita, but he's still pretty good.
The already deep Cougars could get even deeper if they get freshman forward Kanon Catchings back for the Sweet 16. Young listed him as day-to-day heading into the tournament and with an extra week of rest he could be ready to go on Thursday.
Guards Dalin Hall and Trey Stewart will also see minutes and both of those guys shoot north of 36% from three. BYU's offense has weapons all over the place and will make you pay for missed rotations and going under screens.
Stats to know for BYU
As you can probably guess from the above statistics, BYU is an elite offensive team. They're the No. 9 team in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency. They hit 37.3% of their three-point attempts as a team and rank 6th in the country in effective field goal percentage. They're one of the best in the country inside the arch, too, connecting on 58.4% of their twos.
Alabama has been one of the better teams in the country this season at defending the three-point line. Alabama allows opponents to shoot just 30.5% from three, the 22nd best mark in college basketball.
In terms of offensive weaknesses, there aren't many, but the Cougars do turn the ball over at a higher rate than they would like. They also don't get to the free throw line very much and struggle to convert when they do. They shoot just 71.0% from the free throw line.
BYU is similar stylistically to Alabama, at least in the halfcourt. But the Coguars don't push the pace like the Crimson Tide do. They don't play at the snail's pace that Saint Mary's does, but they average about eight possessions less per game than Alabama does.
What has held BYU back this season is the defensive end of the floor. They're similar to Kentucky in that manner, a team Alabama went 3-0 against this season. The Cougars are 71st in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency.
As good as BYU is shooting three pointers, they struggle to defend the three point line defensively, allowing opponents to hit at a 35% clip from deep. Alabama should get plenty of open looks from three, but it will be interesting if they are able to knock them down.
One of the Crimson Tide's most reliable three-point shooters, Mark Sears, is in a prolonged shooting slump that hopefully a new venue in Newark will help him snap out of. The graduate senior has hit just 5-of-35 from distance in the last five games.
It seems simple, but this game could very easily come down to whether Alabama is able to knock the open looks that BYU gives up in spades.
You have to like the matchup for the Crimson Tide considering BYU's most similar statistical profile is that of Kentucky. Alabama handled Kentucky on the road, at home, and on a neutral floor this season. I'm sure they'll employ a similar gameplan against the Cougars on Thursday and hope to produce similar results.