Alabama Silences Grand Canyon Crowd, Advances To Sweet 16 In Wild NCAA Tournament Environment

In one of the most chaotic basketball games we've seen during the NCAA Tournament from an atmosphere standpoint, Alabama and Grand Canyon battled until the very end in what could only be described as a scene from the movie ‘Project X’. 

Playing in-front of a raucous crowd in Spokane, Washington, Alabama not only weathered the referees who decided to become the main attraction, but also a wild run from the Antelopes in the final eight minutes to clinch another trip to the Sweet 16. 

Alabama looked to be cruising to a comfortable win in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, but Grand Canyon would not go away, especially with their transition basketball. It looked as though the Tide would not be able to stop the momentum of the Antelopes after they went on an 8-0 run at the 5:46 mark, but Mark Sears certainly wasn't going to let his team leave Spokane without the win. 

"Sears wasn't going to lose. He wasn't letting us lose tonight," Nate Oats said about Mark Sears. 

For the first time in three decades, Alabama secured back-to-back trips to the sweet-sixteen thanks in large-part to Mark Sears and a 10-0 run in what will go down as one of the most physical games we've seen in the NCAA Tournament. It was almost as if the light bulb turned on for Alabama once GCU took the lead, and they never looked back, to the dismay of the student section from Grand Canyon. 

Following the win, Alabama head coach Nate Oats told CBS that once his team fell behind for the first time all night, he turned towards his bench and made it clear to his team they could handle the ongoing run from GCU.

"I think we can handle some adversity, that's what our word's been. Plenty of times we could've quit, getting down there late, but our guys kept fighting," Nate Oats said. "I can't say enough about our group, especially without [Latrell] Wrightsell. He's been really good for us. I told them when we came into the huddle to our whole bench that we're winning this game. As soon as they took the lead, i told them to turn the momentum and get it back."

One of the best players in the SEC this season, Mark Sears once again proved why he's such a key player for this Alabama squad, scoring 26 points with 12 rebounds, coming up clutch in the final three minutes to send his team onto the next round. 

Even though the run comes to an end for Grand Canyon, the Antleopes proved they could hang with the big boys, almost seizing the opportunity in the second half. Known for their insane home-court environments, I'd imagine the folks at the NCAA were delighted to see thousands of screaming students invade Spokane over the past three days. For head coach Bryce Drew, this has been a tremendous turnaround for his career after his stint at Vanderbilt. 

Next Up For Alabama? A Sweet 16 Showdown With North Carolina In LA

I would hope one of the Alabama motto's heading to Spokane this past week was to pack enough luggage so that they wouldn't have to return home to Tuscaloosa. After being placed in the West region and shipped off to Washington, Alabama took care of business in the Northwest, and are now rewarded with a trip to Los Angeles to play No.1 seeded North Carolina.  

SPOKANE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 24: Mark Sears #1 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates a play against Grand Canyon Antelopes during the second round of the 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena on March 24, 2024 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

I have no idea what the travel plans are for Nate Oats and his group, but staying on the Western part of the country makes a ton of sense. Keep the players in that time zone, and save them the trouble of flying all the way back to Tuscaloosa, just to get back on a flight Wednesday for Hollywood. 

A team spokesperson told OutKick late Sunday night that Alabama will stay out West and not return to Tuscaloosa. 

If the basketball team keeps on winning, this group might not come back to the State of Alabama for another two weeks, with the Final Four being played in Phoenix. 

As for this first weekend, Alabama proved that the ugly ending to the regular season and SEC Tournament was just a fluke, and the Tide might actually be rising at the perfect opportunity.