It’s finally time for the Tide to take the tournament stage, as 6th-seeded Alabama gets set to do battle with the 11th-seeded Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. It will be a clash of contrasting styles, as the Irish will want to slow the game down and utilize its 4-Out, 1-In motion offense to pick apart the Tide’s defense in the half-court, while Alabama will be looking to flex its advantages in athleticism, depth, and rest to speed up and exhaust their potentially road-weary foes.

While both these schools are known for their legendary football programs, both Alabama and Notre Dame have a strong tradition of success on the hardcourt as well. This will be the Tide’s 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance, and they’ll be looking to get back to the Sweet Sixteen for the 10th time in school history. Notre Dame is making their 37th trip to the Big Dance, and they will attempt to add to their trio of Final Fours and 17 Sweet Sixteens.

Projected Starting Line-Ups

Alabama Crimson Tide:

POINT Jahvon Quinerly
GUARD Jaden Shackelford
GUARD JD Davison
WING Keon Ellis
POST Charles Bediako

Notre Dame Fighting Irish:

POINT Prentiss Hubb
GUARD Blake Wesley
GUARD Cormac Ryan
GUARD Dane Goodwin
POST Paul Atkinson

We should be in for a high-scoring shootout today. DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Tide as a 4-point favorite, though how accurate that is depends entirely on which Alabama team decides to show up in San Diego today. Either way, Tide Hoops has another opportunity to make something special happen in March.

How to Watch

Date: Friday, March 18th

Time: 3:15 pm CT

TV Channel: TNT