The Sweet 16 is here, and the NCAA Tournament is heating up! Thursday night features four big matchups, kicking off with No. 6 BYU taking on No. 3 Alabama. Also on the schedule: No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 1 Florida, No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 1 Duke, and No. 10 Arkansas battling No. 3 Texas Tech.
BYU, led by first-year head coach Kevin Young, pulled off wins over No. 11 VCU and No. 3 Wisconsin to earn their spot in the Sweet 16. Meanwhile, Alabama, a Final Four team last year, has taken down No. 15 Robert Morris and No. 7 St. Mary’s so far.
College basketball legend Dick Vitale shared his thoughts on the BYU-Alabama matchup, and he’s siding with the Crimson Tide. “Bama’s Mark Sears is the engine of that fab offense, but BYU’s Richie Saunders and future NBA player Egor Demin won’t back down,” Vitale posted on X. “In the end, Roll Tide is too talented and will advance.”
Alabama has been rolling offensively, with six players hitting double figures in their win over St. Mary’s. According to ESPN BET, they’re favored by 5.5 points. If Vitale is right, the Crimson Tide will be moving on to the Elite Eight for the second straight year.
