March Madness: Next up for Irish, a date with the Crimson Tide
Tom Noie
Notre Dame vs. Alabama: NCAA Tournament, TV, radio, matchup
No. 11 seed Notre Dame (23-10 overall; 15-5 ACC) faces No. 6 seed Alabama (19-13; 9-9 SEC) in a West Regional first-round game in the NCAA tournament.
Follow every Notre Dame game with live updates from Tribune beat writer Tom Noie at twitter.com/tnoieNDI.
When does Notre Dame play Alabama in the NCAA Tournament?
Friday’s contest is the second of the day at Viejas Arena on the campus of San Diego State. The game will tip at approximately 4:15 p.m. eastern time (1:15 local).
How can I watch?
The game will be broadcast on TNT with Lisa Byington (play-by-play), Avery Johnson (color analyst), Steve Smith (color analyst) and Lauren Shehadi (sideline). Johnson also served as color analyst for Wednesday’s game against Rutgers in Dayton.
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How can I listen?
The Notre Dame game can be heard locally on WSBT (960 AM) with Irish play-by-play voice Tony Simeone.
What’s at stake for Notre Dame?
The Irish had to travel a long way in a short time to attempt to win a first round NCAA tournament game for the fourth straight tournament. Notre Dame beat Rutgers in double overtime in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio early Thursday.
What’s at stake for Alabama?
Having qualified for the NCAA tournament for a second straight season for the first time since 2005-06, Alabama looks to get to the Sweet 16 for a second straight year. The Tide accomplished that last season as a No. 2 seed.
Irish to keep an eye on
Senior guard/captain Prentiss Hubb led the Atlantic Coast Conference in assist/turnover ratio (4.40). Graduate student Paul Atkinson (12.3 ppg., 6.9 rpg.) will go against another big man with bigger size. Guard Trey Wertz (4.5 ppg., 1.9 rpg., 2.1 apg.) may need to offer a little more off the bench.
Crimson Tide to track
Guard Jaden Shackelford (16.7 ppg., 5.3 rpg.) earned second team All-Southeastern Conference a second straight season. Guard JD Davison (8.5, 4.8) and center Charles Bediako (6.8, 4.4) each were all-freshman all-league while senior guard Keon Ellis (12.0, 6.0, team-best 62 steals) was an all-defensive selection in the SEC.
Notre Dame vs. Alabama series
Notre Dame leads the all-time series 3-2 with both losses at neutral sites, including the last time the teams met, a 74-73 Alabama win in the 2015 AdvoCare Invitational in Bay Lake, Florida (Disney World).
Notre Dame had won the previous two, including a victory in Tuscaloosa on Dec. 7, 2005.
Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on Twitter: @tnoieNDI