Seniors Make Sure Alabama Keeps Dancing in Win Over Texas Tech

TAMPA, Fla. –– In the NCAA Tournament, seasons can swing in just a few possessions.

Alabama’s seniors made sure theirs didn’t end Saturday night.

Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Houston Mallette and Noah Williamson delivered when it mattered, as Alabama controlled the game from the opening tip in a 90-65 win over Texas Tech to advance to the Sweet 16 for a fifth time under head coach Nate Oats

Wrightsell led the way with 24 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 6-of-9 from three, while Mallette added 15 points and eight rebounds, knocking down five three-pointers of his own. Williamson chipped in eight points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting as Alabama’s veteran group produced efficiently throughout.

Alabama built a 49-25 halftime lead and pushed its advantage to as many as 34 in the second half. Each time Texas Tech showed signs of cutting into the deficit, the Crimson Tide responded, often through one of its veterans.

“All three of these seniors came with the mentality we’re not going home. And you could tell it,” Oats said. “I tell our guys all the time, just be about the right stuff, lose yourself in the game and the other stuff takes care of itself.”

Wrightsell, who was a contributor on Alabama's 2024 Final Four team and is going through his last run in the tournament, said the moment was less about feeling pressure to lead and more about preparation.

“I don’t feel like it’s any pressure,” Wrightsell said. “I feel like it’s just meeting people in the moment… we prepared a lot way before this game to prepare for this moment.”

That preparation showed as Alabama grabbed control early and never really let Texas Tech back in it. The Crimson Tide forced the Red Raiders 34 percent from the field, and 16 percent from deep.

“We just wanted to get a stop and a bucket each possession at a time,” Wrightsell said. “It was never looking at the bigger picture, never looking at the score.”

Junior forward Taylor Bol Bowen, in his first season at Alabama after transferring from Florida State, said Latrell Wrightsell Jr. has played an instrumental role in his development. Bol Bowen, who rooms with Wrightsell on road trips, credited the veteran guard’s leadership and presence for helping his personal growth at Alabama.

“ I mean, I can't even put into words what those two do for us,” Bol Bowen said. “[Latrell Wrightsell Jr.] is my roommate on the road. I don't even know how to put it into words. It's just everything for us, especially off the court. When they play well, it just makes all of us happy with their infectious energy. I think that's what came tonight.”

Mallette was another main driver of that energy, matching Wrightsell’s production with timely scoring of his own. On possessions when Wrightsell wasn’t knocking down shots, Mallette stepped in to deliver, helping sustain Alabama’s momentum. His impact extended beyond scoring, as his effort on hustle plays earned him the team’s hard hat.

The former Pepperdine transfer has navigated his own share of adversity, redshirting last season and at times struggling to carve out a consistent role in Alabama’s rotation. In recent months, however, Mallette’s impact has grown. Head coach Nate Oats has praised his basketball IQ and leadership, even referring to him as a “future coach” and expressing a desire for him to remain part of the program beyond his playing career.

For Mallette, the urgency of March Madness aligns with Alabama’s identity as a team that has experienced ebbs and flows throughout the season.

“We’ve dealt with probably more adversity than any of the other programs in the country this year,” Mallette said. “I think we’ve been really well equipped in not focusing on what’s happened to us but more so our response...

I told everybody I don't want to leave Alabama. I will die for this school and this place. These guys love it as well. That's been our whole motto this year."

For Alabama’s younger players, that influence extends well beyond the box score. Freshmen Amari Allen and London Jemison, both of whom have started the Crimson Tide’s first two NCAA Tournament games, credited their development to the leadership and example set by the program’s veterans.

“It means the world to us,” freshman forward London Jemison said. “We’re hooping for them, we’re hooping for our seniors… both of them are like big brothers to me.”

Alabama will face one of its toughest tests of the season next week in Chicago against Michigan, but for at least one more game, its seniors have earned another chance to extend their season.

"You never want to stop playing," Wrightsell said. "You don't want it to end. I think it's self-explanatory. You go out there and just fight to move on, and that's what we did. We came out there with energy and effort that wasn't matched today."

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