Fourth-seeded Alabama men’s basketball saw its season end on Friday night, as it fell to top-seeded Michigan 90–77 in the Sweet 16 at the United Center in Chicago.
“These guys that I coach [have] been one of the more enjoyable groups I’ve ever coached in my life,” head coach Nate Oats said after the loss. “We had no locker room issues, none of that stuff.”
Star guard Labaron Philon Jr. led all scorers with 32 points on 9/19 shooting and 6/13 from 3-point range, in what was likely his final game for the Crimson Tide. Philon will have to decide whether he will return for a third season in Tuscaloosa or enter his name in this summer’s NBA draft.
“I don’t really think he’s got much of a decision,” Oats said of Philon. “He’s one of the best players in college basketball. He came back to do what he did, to play his way up into the lottery. From everything I’m hearing, that’s what he did.”
Alabama began the game strongly, holding an 11-4 advantage with under 16 minutes to play. The Crimson Tide drained three 3-pointers, with two coming from center Aiden Sherrell. Alabama also led 7-3 on the glass in the first four minutes of action and forced two early turnovers from the Wolverines.
The Wolverines mustered a 12-2 run to take a brief lead before Alabama roared back, reclaiming the lead after Wrightsell and Philon embarked on a 7-point scoring burst. Michigan turned it over six times in the opening period, which included four early giveaways.
A hot start from beyond the arc helped propel the Crimson Tide in front, hitting eight of its first 17 attempts from behind the 3-point line. Wrightsell and Philon continued to steer the ship as the half progressed, with the sophomore from Mobile taking over the game to end the period.
Philon scored the final eight points of the half, which gave Alabama a 49-47 lead at the break. Despite being outrebounded 21-20 in the opening 20 minutes, the Crimson Tide made its mark on the glass with seven offensive rebounds.
The second half was a much different story for Alabama.
Michigan opened the half with a 13-2 run and outscored Alabama 23-11 over the first eight minutes of action after the break. After a solid defensive performance in the first half, Alabama struggled against the physical Wolverines front, surrendering 25 rebounds to the Crimson Tide’s 12.
“I thought our guys did a great job to be up two,” Oats said. “[They] did a great job closing the first half. The start of that second half wasn’t what we were looking for and Michigan imposed their will on us to start the second half.”
The Crimson Tide continued to struggle as the half progressed. With eight minutes to go, Philon and Wrightsell had 10 points combined, and the rest of the team had 5. The Wolverines continued to hold command, despite Alabama’s best efforts to mount a comeback.
Philon continued his strong night despite the lackluster second-half performance, tying his career high of 35 points, which he set in the team’s 117-115 double overtime win over Arkansas in February.
“I’ve said it before, I think he’s the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of college basketball,” guard Houston Mallette said of Philon. “He’s incredibly talented. I think he’s the best guard in the country, when it comes to the kind of load he had this year.”
Michigan dribbled out the remaining seconds, sealing the fate of a Crimson Tide team that battled adversity all season, yet advanced to a fourth straight Sweet 16 and fifth overall under Oats.
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