Alabama men’s basketball is back in the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive season, and the Crimson Tide will face No. 6 seed BYU in this round of March Madness.
Alabama is fresh off a win over No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s 80-66 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In the first round, Alabama outlasted No. 15 seed Robert Morris 90-81.
Meanwhile, BYU beat No. 11 seed VCU 80-71 in the opening round. Then, the Cougars upset No. 3 seed Wisconsin 91-89 in the second round.
Now, Alabama will play BYU on Thursday in Newark, New Jersey. Before that matchup, here’s what you need to know about the Cougars.
Expect a high-scoring game
Alabama and BYU feature two of the country’s top offenses.
The Cougars rank 8th in adjusted offensive efficiency per KenPom. Alabama ranks 4th.
Neither defense is particularly elite, so it’s fair to expect a high-scoring outing. Poin
Two elite shooters
Richie Saunders and Trevin Knell can’t be allowed to heat up. If they do, Alabama could be in trouble.
Saunders leads BYU in points per game with 16.3. He’s made 43.1% of his shots from deep, which ranks 58th in the country per KenPom. Knell doesn’t average as many points (9.1), but he’s even more lethal from beyond the arc. Knell has drained 44% of his attempts from deep, which ranks 38th. The duo combined to go 7-for-10 on 3-pointers against Wisconsin.
What to know about BYU offense
BYU ranks No. 27 in three-point shooting percentage, per KenPom. So it can do damage from beyond the arc.
But it’s even better from inside the arc. It ranks No. 5 nationally in two-point shooting percentage.
Four BYU players are among the 102 most efficient offensive players in the country. KenPom measures offensive rating (“A measure of personal offensive efficiency developed by Dean Oliver. The formula is very complicated, but accurate”) and Saunders (47th), Knell (57th), Fousseyni Traore (99th) and Keba Keita (102nd) are among the nation’s best.
Watch for Egor Demin
The Russian guard doesn’t score or shoot as well as Saunders, but Demin’s a problem for opposing defenses.
He creates offense and just makes plays. Demin averages 5.4 assists per game and 1.1 steals. Against Wisconsin he grabbed eight rebounds and tallied eight assists to go with 11 points.
His assist rate, which KenPom measures as “assists divided by the field goals made by the player’s teammates while he is on the court” is one of the best in the nation at 34.3, ranked 34th.
What to know about BYU defense
The defense is solid but not elite. The Cougars rank 72nd in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom.
BYU’s defense beyond the arc isn’t good. It allows 35% from deep, which ranks 249th nationally. Meanwhile, the two-point defense ranked 112th.
That means there should be ample opportunities for Alabama to hit 3-pointers. The key for the Crimson Tide will be taking advantage of those good looks from beyond the arc.
BYU isn’t particularly effective at forcing turnovers, with a turnover percentage that ranks 191st. The Cougars' defensive rebounding is strong, though, ranked 32nd
