Video: Alabama Basketball Holds First Practice for NCAA Tournament

No. 5 Alabama basketball held its first practice on Tuesday after making its trip to Indianapolis for the NCAA tournament.

The Crimson Tide arrived in Indianapolis on Sunday evening following its 80-79 victory over LSU in the SEC tournament championship game. However, the team was forced to quarantine on Monday as well as be tested for COVID-19. Once the team was cleared, it held its first practice on Tuesday.

No. 2-seed Alabama is currently scheduled to play against No. 15-seed Iona on Saturday (3 p.m. CT, TBS). The Crimson Tide finished its season with a 24-6 overall record, while the Gaels finished the season with a 12-5 overall record and as winners of the MAAC tournament.

On Sunday evening during the drive to Indianapolis, Alabama coach Nate Oats spoke with reporters via Zoom regarding the Gaels.

They’re a good team,” Oats said. “They’re obviously well-coached. They’ve got a couple of good guards (Asante Gist and Isaiah Ross). They’ve got a good, young freshman big (Nelly Junior Joseph). They’ve got a freshman guard off the bench that shoots it well. Pitino knows what he’s doing. He knows how to coach. He’s gonna have them well-prepared.

“We’ve got more talented players, but we’re gonna have to come ready to play. A 15 has beat a two, a 16 has beat a one, so our guys gotta understand that they’ve gotta come ready to go. I think they will. I think we’ve had a maturity about us that will show up again, but we’ve gotta emphasize that this week.”