Alabama Sets NCAA Tournament Record In 'Undercard' Sweet 16 Win Over BYU

NEWARK, NJ – Alabama and BYU kicked off the Sweet 16 in style on Thursday night, with both teams lighting up the scoreboard early and often. 

But it was the Crimson Tide's unbelievable shooting that led the majority of the scoring, defeating the Cougars, 113-88, to become the first team to reach the Elite Eight of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. In the process, Alabama set an NCAA Tournament record for most three-pointers made in a single game (25). 

The best way to describe this match from inside the Prudential Center is simple: it was an undercard fight. There were empty seats all throughout the arena, as many fans undoubtedly purchased tickets to see superstar freshman Cooper Flagg and the Duke Blue Devils in the second Sweet 16 game of the night. 

There was a large contingent of BYU fans present, and they were much louder than the Alabama section. That's not surprising – BYU hadn't reached the Sweet 16 since 2011 and Crimson Tide fans have spent thousands over the past decade traveling to see the football team compete, and win, the College Football Playoff several times. 

In addition, this was Alabama's third straight trip to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. 

But none of that mattered on the floor. The Tide's high-flying offense scored 51 points in the first half, led by Mark Sears, who had 17 on 5-7 from three. 

Sears, by the way, was lighting it up in pregame (obviously not the same as a game situation, but he adapted well to the unfamiliar court). I watched him make at least 12 in a row at one point and I think he hit around 27 of the 30 threes I saw him take. 

That carried over into the match against BYU, while the Cougars couldn't hit anything from deep. BYU shot 1-13 from three in the first half, while Alabama cashed 12-27 from distance. 

That didn't change in the second half. Sears scored eight points in the first three-minutes-and-change and Alabama quickly stretched its lead to 16. 

BYU made a charge shortly after, but as has been the case all season for the Cougars, they just couldn't get enough defensive stops. Alabama scored at least 100 points for the ninth time this season. There's a reason they're the #1 scoring team in the country. 

The Alabama Crimson Tide continued their offensive onslaught in the NCAA Tournament, beating the BYU Cougars in the Sweet 16 to advance to the East Regional final.

(Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Sears checked out of the game with Alabama leading by over 20 points with around four minutes left. He scored 34 points on 10-16 three-point shooting, falling one three-pointer shy of tying the NCAA Tournament record for made threes by a player in one game (Jeff Fryer had 11 for Loyola Marymount in 1990). 

With the win, Alabama punched its ticket to the Elite Eight and the SEC continues its college basketball dominance. The league sent seven teams to the Sweet 16 and with Florida also winning on Thursday night, the league is guaranteed at least three advancing to their regional final (Tennessee and Kentucky face each other on Friday). 

With Auburn heavily favored to beat Michigan on Friday, it's likely that at least half the Elite Eight comes from the Southeastern Conference. 

I guess they're right when they say, "it just means more."