Why Sunday's Late Tip in Round of 32 Won't Feel Unfamiliar for Alabama

TAMPA, Fla.––Sunday's setting should feel a little familiar for No. 4 Alabama. The 9:45 p.m. ET local tip in Tampa against No. 5 Texas Tech in the Round of 32 won't be the Crimson Tide's first late tipoff of the season. Playing two talented teams in within a three-day window isn't entirely unfamiliar either.

Alabama got its first taste of tournament life at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas back in November. Nate Oats always likes to build a challenging non-conference schedule for his Crimson Tide teams, and this year was no different.

"I think it prepared us well," Alabama forward Taylor Bol Bowen said. "It prepared us a lot because now we’re competing with some of the best teams in the country, all the best teams really. I think that the non-conference games we played helped us out for sure.”

On top of facing St. John's on the road (eventual 5-seed in NCAA tournament), Illinois on a "neutral site" in Chicago (eventual 3-seed) and Arizona on a "neutral site" in Birmingham (eventual 1-seed), Alabama also played three games in three days at the Players Era Festival.

All three of those games started after 8:30 p.m. local time in Las Vegas with the final two against UNLV and Maryland tipping off at 11 p.m. Alabama lost the opening game against Gonzaga (eventual 3-seed) and then bounced back with a 115-76 win over UNLV and 105-72 win against Maryland.

"We try to put ourselves in different spots that will help us later," Oats explained. "We didn't play great the first time. I thought we were much better games 2 and 3 out there. We were good enough in the second half to beat Hofstra. If we play the way we did against Hofstra tomorrow night, we won't win the game. But I did think we got better as that tournament in Vegas went on, our Maryland, UNLV game -- now, Texas Tech is better than Maryland and UNLV, but we played better in games 2 and 3. So hopefully our guys go back to that."

Alabama players feel like that even though it was a while ago, it helps prepare the Crimson Tide for what it is going to face now in March Madness.

"I think it’s going to go a long way in preparing us because it’s kind of a direct experience that we have moving forward— quick turnaround with back to back games against elite competition," Alabama center Noah Williamson said.

Alabama and Texas Tech will be the final game to tip off in the Round of 32 with a trip to the Sweet 16 against No. 1 Michigan on the line.

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