By Adeniyi Precious 
Alabama basketball is heading into March Madness for the fifth straight year, and they’re a 2-seed this time around. Under coach Nate Oats, the Crimson Tide have really stepped up, with three of their last five tournament appearances as 1 or 2 seeds. This is just the second time in the team’s history that they’ve had such a high seed.
They’re coming off a mixed performance in the SEC Tournament, winning big against Kentucky but getting knocked out by Florida. Still, with a 25-8 record and one of the toughest schedules in the country, Alabama’s ready for the tournament.
Alabama’s first-round matchup will be against Robert Morris, who’s coming in hot with a 10-game winning streak, but they’re not a big threat—Alabama’s a 22.5-point favorite. This game will be on Friday at 11:40 AM CT in Cleveland. If the Tide win, they’ll face the winner of St. Mary’s and Vanderbilt in the second round.
If they make it past that, the Sweet 16 will be in Newark, New Jersey, with likely opponents like Wisconsin or BYU. To reach the Final Four, they might need to take down Duke in the Elite Eight. But first, they’ve got to stay focused and healthy, especially with Grant Nelson’s availability still in question.