'We've Got Real Mudita’: Alabama Unleashing ‘Superpower’ as Underdog vs. Michigan

CHICAGO — Michael Jordan wasn't always an unstoppable force and global icon.

From 1988-90, the Chicago Bulls couldn't beat the Detroit Pistons, falling to them in the NBA Playoffs each years. But everything changed in 1991. Jordan helped lead his team to the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, while Isiah Thomas and the Pistons were No. 3.

The seeding automatically made Chicago the favorite to win the series. But the Bulls utilized an underdog mindset, as Detroit, the reigning back-to-back NBA champions at the time, ended each of Chicago's last three seasons. It became a motivation tool as Jordan and Scottie Pippen proceeded to lead a sweep over the Pistons and later won their first NBA Finals.

Fast forward 35 years, and Alabama basketball will be the underdog tonight. Less than an hour away from the Pistons' home arena is Ann Arbor — the city where the University of Michigan resides. The Wolverines are the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region of the 2026 NCAA Tournament and they'll face the 4-seed Crimson Tide in the Sweet 16.

Unlike the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, the higher seed is the favorite. In fact, the consensus 9.5-point spread is tied for Alabama's largest as the underdog this season. The Bulls won the '91 ECF in the now-demolished Chicago Stadium. After winning three straight NBA Finals from 1991-93, the Bulls moved across the street to the United Center in 1996 and proceeded to win back-to-back-to-back once again.

As the Crimson Tide takes the same floor that Jordan and Pippen did, like the Bulls, UA isn't afraid of being the underdog against the Wolverines.

"We're not really opposed to it," Alabama guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. said on Thursday. "We know that Michigan is a really good team, and they've proven that multiple times throughout the season and stuff like that. We have the ultimate respect.

"But we also know what we can do, too. And we know if we put in the work and we play our best and we play hard and we play for each other and have fun out there, we can compete with anybody in the country. ... We lace our shoes the exact same way. We know we have the talent. We have the coaching staff. We have the game plan, and we have everything we need to be successful as well."

Alabama wasn't exactly supposed to get this far. The Tide earned the 2-seed in the SEC Tournament, and despite receiving the double-bye, it lost to 15-seed Ole Miss 80-79.

Defense, rebounding, turnovers and inconsistency have been the causes of each of its nine losses this season, and it all came together against the Rebels. But sometimes setbacks bring teams together, and UA's latest loss wasn't even in a game.

Alabama guard Aden Holloway was suspended by head coach Nate Oats after he was arrested for first-degree possession of marijuana and failure to affix a tax stamp just days before the NCAA Tournament. But the team donning white and crimson tied together and proceeded to not only dominate 13-seed Hofstra, but 5-seed Texas Tech in Tampa for the first two rounds last week. It was as if Alabama had an advantage without its second-best scorer.

"We have like a superpower, and that's our Mudita," Alabama guard Houston Mallette said. "We love each other. [Mudita means] We have vicarious joy for each other's success as if it were our own. That's our superpower. I think that's what makes the difference within our team.

"Yeah, we've embraced adversity all year long. We've had 14 different starting lineups. We've had probably a million different lineups, who's been available, who's been out with injury. We embrace it. Like Trel said, it's a basketball game. We prepare.

"I think we've had our best two weeks of preparation. Like our practices last week were phenomenal and then our practice the past three days has been incredible. We love each other. We've got real Mudita. All respect to Michigan, they've got a really good program, like Trel said. They're really good all around. They're well-coached. But we're just excited for the opportunity."

Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. is the face of this team. The sophomore has been the Crimson Tide's top player all season, and his Third Team All-American and First Team All-SEC accolades reflect that.

And while Philon acknowledged the underdog mentality like his teammates, he credited the ones who pull the strings.

"For me, just seeing the coaches get real riled up for this game [is great]," Philon said. "Coach Oats, all the coaches, they're just ready to play. For a player just to see that, that just gives you more confidence that we're going to be out there ready to play just like they are.

"They're a great team, but we've also been finding our way here. I feel like we've progressed a lot. Just seeing that as a team that's coming in really hot and playing against a great team is going to be a really good game."

In terms of individual players, Philon could be the difference, and it helps that he fell in love with one of the most influential athletes of all time when he was 10-years-old. He constantly wore a Jordan jersey to accompany his Stephen Curry apparel growing up.

Philon wears the jersey No. 0, but this might be the night 23 echoes through him. He's come up clutch countless times this season, with one of the first coming during the 90-86 win over Illinois. The United Center was the host for this matchup on Nov. 19, as the Sweet 16 isn't the only time this season that the Tide played/will play in "The House that Jordan Built."

He had just five points in the first half on a 2 of 6 clip from the field. Illinois held a narrow 42-41 lead going into the break, but coming out of it, Philon gave Alabama its first lead with a layup. The Crimson Tide never lost the lead from then on, and the sophomore finished with 24 points.

Philon was playing with four fouls late in the second half, but Oats trusted the only returning starter from last season's Alabama team. He converted 7 of his 12 field goal attempts in the second half and finished the game with a team-high five assists. Whether it was from deep, midrange or drives inside, Philon shined in the clutch. Just like MJ.

"It's good to be back," Oats said on Thursday. "We were fortunate to play in this building already. They got us in the same locker room when we were here, shoot, back whenever it was. We walked in, I thought, 'Which season did we play here?' because it feels like it was a couple seasons ago already.

"So we've been through quite a bit since that Illinois game. But it's good to be back. Sometimes it's good to remind yourself how good you played at different times."

It's worth mentioning that Illinois was the favorite to win what was essentially a home game. It'll be the same for Michigan, as the United Center is a roughly four-hour drive compared a nearly 11-hour journey from Tuscaloosa.

But Mudita goes a long way. Alabama's proven it following its eyebrow-raising amount of injuries, tough losses, Holloway's current suspension and more. The Tide has won games it wasn't supposed to, and tonight is perhaps its biggest test.

Alabama doesn't need to be the favorite. Its superpower may be enough.

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