Bama Central

Live Blog: Alabama Basketball vs. Saint Mary's in NCAA Tournament

Tap in with us for an update on Grant Nelson ahead of the Crimson Tide's Round of 32 matchup against the Gaels.
Hunter De Siver|
Rocket Arena prior to Alabama basketball NCAA Tournament game vs. Saint Mary's- March 23, 2025
Rocket Arena prior to Alabama basketball NCAA Tournament game vs. Saint Mary's- March 23, 2025 | BamaCentral

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Alabama Crimson Tide

CLEVELAND–– BamaCentral is back inside Rocket Arena for No. 2 Alabama basketball's Round of 32 matchup with No. 7 Saint Mary's.

Both team fought through close games in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament and are now battling it out for a spot in the Sweet 16.

Tipoff is scheduled for 5:10 p.m. CT on TNT. BamaCentral will provide updates throughout.

Live Blog

(Latest updates at the top)

Final: Alabama 80, Saint Mary's 68

Second Half

  • Final Media Timeout (3:51): Alabama leads 72-63; Both offenses are getting hot but the Crimson Tide leads due to making seven of their last nine field goal attempts. Rebounding battle: Alabama 38 (7), Saint Mary's 33 (14).
  • 5:20: Cleveland is starting to look like alley-oop city as after a steal by Labaron Philon, the freshman guard lobbed one to Nelson who got the Alabama bench up on their feet once again.
  • 7:54: Perhaps the best play of the game and something you'll very likely see on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays later tonight or tomorrow morning, as Omoruyi just slammed home an alley-oop pass from Sears.
  • 9:56: Oats was pumped up after Holloway hit from deep following a big offensive rebound by Omoruyi, who is now tied with Nelson for the team-lead with eight (two offensive).
  • 11:50: Alabama's defense held strong once again as the Gaels went over two minutes without scoring, which led to a 55-45 score at the under 12-timeout. Rebounding battle: Alabama 31 (6), 26 (11).
  • 16:13: Sears picks up his third foul of the game and is on the bench. Alabama leads 51-41 to start the second half but Saint Mary's has started strong with three straight makes from the field. The Gaels shot 9 of 36 in the first half.

Halftime Notes

  • Grant Nelson doesn't seem to have any issue with his knee as he leads the Crimson Tide in rebounds with seven, including three on the offensive glass, two go along with seven points––the second-most for Alabama.
  • Chris Youngblood leads the Crimson Tide in scoring with 13 points, including conversions on each of his three attempts from downtown.
  • The rebounding battle was Nate Oats' "main emphasis," especially not only after a rough performance on the glass against Robert Morris but the fact that the Gaels are a premier program in this stat category as well. Alabama is dominating the battle 26-16 but narrowly trails 7-6 in offensive rebounds.
  • Defense is a big reason for Alabama's wide margin on the boards as the Gaels are 9 of 36 (25 percent) from the field, including a 0-for-6 clip from deep. The Tide also has five blocks while SMC has none.
  • Alabama looks good offensively as it sits at 16 of 29 from the field (55 percent) with a very efficient 5-for-9 from long range.
  • The main negative: Alabama has eight turnovers while Saint Mary's is yet to commit one. However the margin of the scoreboard certainly outweighs this dilemma for now.

Halftime: Alabama 42, Saint Mary's 29

Alabama vs. Saint Mary's Halftime Score
Alabama vs. Saint Mary's Halftime Score | StatBroadcast

First Half

  • 1.7: Saint Mary's hasn't really stood true to their slow and steady possession method this game and when they chewed the clock down, it resulted in a block by Dioubate that got the Crimson Tide bench on its feet.
  • 1:40: The Gaels just hit their first bucket in nearly six minutes after shooting 0-for-10 in that span. Alabama leads 37-27, including an emphatic slam by center Clifford Omoruyi.
  • 5:43: Alabama forces Saint Mary's to call its first timeout of the night as the Tide takes its largest lead of the game at 29-21. Much thanks to Dioubate who is up to seven points, including five straight. Rebounding battle: Alabama 18 (4), Saint Mary's 11 (4).
  • 7:57: Youngblood is off to really nice start so far as the Crimson Tide leads 23-19. He has 10 points on 3 of 4 from the field, including 2-for-2 from behind the arc. Youngblood has worn goggles the past couple of games due to an elbow to the eye against Auburn, but he's not wearing them today.
  • 11:37: Rebounding battle: Alabama 10 (2 offensive), Saint Mary's 7 (2); Nate Oats during media timeout (score tied at 13) on TNT broadcast: "It's sped up enough. We have just got to make our layups and quit turning the ball over. We don't have to speed it up to the point we're turning it over. We got to get some stops, some rebounds. I'm not unhappy with the pace. I'm not going to do stupid stuff and gamble to create pace on defense. We got to convert on offense. Stop turning the ball over. That's our problem right now."
  • 13:23: Consensus First Team All-American Mark Sears picked up his second foul and went to the bench. Youngblood, Aden Holloway and Mouhamed Dioubate each have one foul.
  • 15:58: Winning the rebounding battle was the "main emphasis" for Alabama head coach Nate Oats as it really struggled in this category against Robert Morris while Saint Mary's is among the best in the country in offensive rebounding rate. The Crimson Tide leads 6-3 on the glass with two offensive boards by Nelson.
  • 17:17: Nelson is up to three rebounds already, including two on the offensive glass. However, he is responsible for both of Alabama's two early turnovers.
  • Alabama guard Chris Youngblood scores the first points of the game with a three-pointer following an offensive rebound by Grant Nelson.

Pregame

  • Introductions for Alabama's starting lineup.
  • Alabama will be donning its white uniforms while Saint Mary's is wearing SMC red.

Starting Lineups:

Alabama

Saint Mary's

G Mark Sears

G Jordan Ross

G Labaron Philon

G Augustas Marciulionis

G Chris Youngblood

G/F Luke Barrett

F Grant Nelson

F Paulius Murauskas

C Clifford Omoruyi

C Mitchell Saxen

  • Grant Nelson is listed as a starter for Alabama tonight.
  • Nine Alabama players were warming up their 3-point shot at the same time. However, Mouhamed Dioubate was at the charity stripe.
  • Officials for Alabama-Saint Mary's: Don Daily, Ray Natili, Randy Richardson
  • Alabama begins warming up one hour before tipoff. Crimson Tide forward Grant Nelson, who came into the Round of 64 late vs. Robert Morris due to an a knee injury he sustained in the SEC Tournament against Florida, is pictured warming up.
  • The Alabama basketball team arrived to Rocket Arena about two hours before tip. The team's sports information director Steven Gonzalez is celebrating a birthday today.

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Hunter De Siver
HUNTER DE SIVER

Hunter De Siver is the lead basketball writer for BamaCentral and has covered Crimson Tide football since 2024. He previously distributed stories about the NFL and NBA for On SI and was a staff writer for Missouri Tigers On SI and Cowbell Corner. Before that, Hunter generated articles highlighting Crimson Tide products in the NFL and NBA for BamaCentral as an intern in 2022 and 2023. Hunter is a graduate from the University of Alabama, earning a degree in sports media in 2023.

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