Next surprise at March Madness! In the NCAA Tournament, Alabama, the big favorite for the title, has to give up early. With Brandon Miller, a potential NBA star looks really bad.
In the “Sweet Sixteen”, the round of 16 of the tournament, the Alabama Crimson Tide lost 64:71 to the five-seeded San Diego State Aztecs. The best team of the season made life difficult for themselves with 14 turnovers and a miserable three-point quota (3/27).
“We’re all disappointed,” said Nate Oats, top-seed Alabama’s head coach. His college must continue to wait for a first participation in the Final Four. Oats: “It was over too soon.”
Alamaba, who won the SEC Tournament before March Madness, shot just 32 percent overall from the field. Top star Brandon Miller, who can hope for a top 5 pick in the upcoming NBA draft, converted only three of his 19 throws. In his three games in the tournament, he has a hit rate of less than 20 percent (8/41 FG).
Miller’s team was leading 48:39 in the second half. After that, however, the offense of the favorite collapsed. The Aztecs’ best pitcher was Darrion Trammell with 21 points.
In the “Elite Eight” not a single one of the four top seeds is represented. This has never happened before in the history of March Madness. The new title holder will be determined in the Final Four in early April.
March Madness: The “Elite Eight” at a glance
| region | team 1 | team 2 |
| South | San Diego State (5) | Creighton (6) |
| Midwest | Miami (5) | Texas (2) |
| East | Florida Atlantic (9) | Kansas State (3) |
| West | UConn (4) | Gonzaga (3) |
