Alabama’s mission to win a national championship has ended.
After building a nine-point lead over San Diego State with less than 12 minutes remaining, the Tide collapsed Friday to end the run of the NCAA’s tournament’s No. 1 overall seed in the Sweet 16.
The Aztecs used a 12-0 surge, including three consecutive three-pointers, to erase Alabama’s lead in a span of less than three minutes. San Diego State then stretched its own advantage to nine points with three minutes left on the clock. A frantic attempt by Alabama followed to save the season of perhaps the most talented team in program history, but it fell short in the 71-64 loss.
In his expected final game in an Alabama uniform, star freshman Brandon Miller shot 3-of-19, including 1-of-10 on three pointers, with six turnovers. Miller shot 1-of-10 in the second half, and 1-of-7 on three-pointers, while turning it over four times. After bailing Alabama out of multiple games this season, Miller could not Friday night, missing a trio of three-point attempts in the final two-plus minutes of the loss.
“I think we came in this game prepared as much as we can possibly,” Miller said. “I think our shot-making could have been better. Our shot choices could have been better.”
As a team, Alabama finished 3-of-27 on three pointers, an 11-percent rate that was the team’s second-worst of the season. Three of the Tide’s six worst three-point shooting performances came in March.
“We didn’t make shots,” center Charles Bediako said. “They made some tough shots. That’s just how basketball goes. You win some, you lose some.”
San Diego State’s defense, which entered the night ranked sixth in the nation in KenPom.com efficiency, blocked Alabama eight times, including five by forward Nathan Mensah. That was tied for the season high against Alabama in a regulation game, with typically strong-finishing guard Jahvon Quinerly making only two of his eight second-half shots scored as layups -- most of which were swatted away.
“Their physicality definitely bothered us in the half court for sure,” Oats said. “We needed to do a little bit better job being able to make better rim decisions. They’re tough, physical, big, strong experienced team, and especially in the first half we didn’t come out prepared. It’s somewhat on us, and somewhat the players have to get comfortable with the way they played.”
Like Maryland six days earlier in the second round, San Diego State played a competitive first half against Alabama that slowed the pace and prevented the Tide from catching fire on three pointers. The Aztecs took the lead four times in the first half and entered halftime with a 28-23 advantage.
Alabama’s strongest advance came early in the second half when it mounted a 13-4 run that energized the Alabama-friendly crowd in Louisville’s KFC Yum! Center. A three-pointer by Quinerly and dunk by Nick Pringle pushed the lead to nine points with 11:40 remaining. But out of the media timeout, San Diego State -- which had made only two of its first nine three pointers -- hit three in a row to swing momentum back to the Aztecs.
“They’re tough, physical, veteran group,” Oats said. “They definitely got experience, and they got down nine and came out and turned it right around. You’ve got to give them a lot of credit.”
The edge in experience San Diego State had entering the game -- something noted by Oats days earlier -- was evident in the closing 10 minutes. Alabama slipped behind by nine points before junior guard Mark Sears scored seven straight to cut the lead to two points with 46 seconds remaining. But the rest of Alabama’s team ultimately could not rise to the moment in the final minute to complete the comeback.
San Diego State made four of its nine three pointers in the second half, while Alabama went 2-of-16.
“Our defense just wasn’t quite good enough to overcome the poor shooting night,” Oats said.
It was the second time in three seasons that Alabama had been upset short of earning the program’s second-ever Elite Eight bid. It fell as a No. 2 seed to UCLA in 2021, then was upended Friday by No. 5 seed San Diego State, which advances to play the winner of Princeton and Creighton. Alabama, which earned the program’s first No. 1 seed in an NCAA tournament, is now 1-9 all-time in Sweet 16 games.
The defeat begins an offseason in which Alabama will lose Miller, who accomplished more in one season than perhaps any player in school history, to the NBA draft. It could lose other players and has already seen two of its assistants, Bryan Hodgson and Charlie Henry, take head-coaching jobs elsewhere.
The only time in program history Alabama has made the Elite Eight was 2004.
“We had an unbelievable year,” Oats said. Everybody is really disappointed in the loss. It ended too soon.”
Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.
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