Alabama and Texas Tech both had concerns regarding their roster makeup entering the NCAA Tournament.

Now one of them is guaranteed a spot in the Sweet 16.

The teams meet in Sunday night’s Midwest Region second-round game in Tampa, Fla.

Fifth-seeded Texas Tech (23-10) was looking like a national championship contender until losing star forward JT Toppin to a season-ending torn ACL on Feb. 17.

Still, the Red Raiders will challenge the Crimson Tide in many ways, particularly because of guard play — much of which was on display during the second half of Friday’s 91-71 handling of No. 12 Akron.

“This team does as good a job as anybody as I’ve seen at hunting mismatches,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said of Texas Tech.

Fourth-seeded Alabama (24-9) is without suspended guard Aden Holloway, who was second on the team in scoring with 16.8 points per game. He faces a felony drug charge stemming from his arrest on Monday.

Yet there’s plenty of firepower out there for both teams. Labaron Philon Jr. averages 22 points per game for Alabama, which rallied past 13 seed Hofstra 90-70 on Friday.

“I don’t know if there’s a comparison just because he’s got size and can do it in a lot of different ways,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said of Alabama’s Oats. “But definitely impressed with his ability to win.”

The Crimson Tide are hoping that experience against different types of lineups will come in handy for Sunday’s showdown. Texas Tech is bound to want to keep the tempo at a moderate pace, while Alabama likes a brisker pace.

“I would say we’ve just got to get adjusted to how they play,” Alabama forward Aiden Sherrell said. “We play so many teams throughout the season that have a great guard play, and at the end of the day, we had to get adjusted.”

Sherrell had his third double-double of the season with 15 points and 15 rebounds against Hofstra. He’s ready to do more if that’s what’s needed.

“The key will be just trying to make the winning plays for sure, just doing whatever it takes to help my teammates succeed and help us win,” Sherrell said. “Just giving that second effort on every possession.”

Much of the outcome of the second-round game might depend on if Alabama can rebound at the rate that it did against Hofstra (a 46-34 advantage).

“I do think part of what makes Texas Tech good is all the hustle plays,” Oats said.

Texas Tech has had to compensate for rebounding since losing Toppin. It has become more of a group effort.

“I think that the guards since JT has been injured have stepped up for us,” forward LeJuan Watts said.

Watts said Alabama’s 17 offensive rebounds from the Hofstra game caught the Red Raiders’ attention.

McCasland said rebounding is a topic that has been uncomfortable for Texas Tech since Toppin’s injury. He understands why it’s viewed as such an important topic.

“Guard rebounding is huge for us,” McCasland said. “When we play our best, our guards are five rebounds-plus each, and that’s where it feels like we need to create advantages.”

Shooting from the perimeter might turn out as important.

“We like to get 3s off,” Oats said. “So do they. If we can get more good looks off than them, I like our chances.”

–Field Level Media

PHILADELPHIA — Sweat, spittle and even a tooth flew Friday night in UConn’s and UCLA’s NCAA Tournament openers, setting up a second-round battle of blue bloods.

Two no-nonsense head coaches in Dan Hurley and Mick Cronin are preparing their teams for another tough battle Sunday night when No. 2 seed UConn and No. 7 seed UCLA play for a Sweet 16 berth out of the East Region.

The programs are on opposite ends of the blue-blood spectrum: UCLA has a record 11 national championships, but only one (1995) since the end of the John Wooden era. UConn is the newest member of the club with six national titles since 1999 under three head coaches, including Hurley in 2023 and ’24.

Their only meeting on the court came in the Elite Eight in 1995, when the Bruins prevailed 102-96 on their way to the title.

Don’t expect Sunday’s meeting to see either team touch triple digits, not with the way the defenses have been playing. Per BartTorvik.com, UConn ranks 15th in adjusted defensive efficiency since Feb. 21, while UCLA’s defense has risen steadily over the course of the winter.

The Bruins finished with nine blocks and 13 steals while holding 10th-seeded UCF to 37.5% shooting on 2-pointers in Friday’s grimy 75-71 win.

“We pushed a lot of buttons schematically,” Cronin said Saturday. “But generally, our care factor has been much better. Defense and rebounding are more effort than anything else.”

Skyy Clark showed how much he cared when he lost part of a tooth from an opponent’s inadvertent elbow late in the UCF game. Clark stayed in the game before going for some after-hours dental work.

“(The dentist) shot me up with anesthesia. He had to take the nerve out, take the root out, shave my tooth down to a nub, put in a new one, and it was like new,” said an appreciative Clark.

UConn’s 82-71 win over No. 15 Furman, which didn’t tip till 10:30 p.m. local time, was all about Tarris Reed Jr., who owned the paint as he went for 31 points (12-of-15 shooting) and 27 rebounds, both career bests by a mile.

Reed will have a much different task against UCLA. Leading scorer and usual starting center Tyler Bilodeau, whose strength is in his 46.4% 3-point shooting, was held out against UCF as he recovers from a right knee sprain sustained in the Big Ten tournament. Xavier Booker, a more traditional center at 6-foot-11, had 15 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.

“They have a very good and tall, elite frontcourt,” Reed said. “We have to set the tone from the jump knowing the stretch shooting, they have fives that can really step out and shoot it. I mean, me, (Eric Reibe) and (Alex Karaban) have been comfortable guarding guys who can step out and shoot.”

Hurley and Cronin are both demonstrative on the sideline and have drawn their share of criticism from onlookers.

Both dismissed the idea that they should be anything different.

“When I look at Mick and coaches like Mick, they’re all the coaches I have either modeled myself after or admired, the ones who can balance holding their players to the highest standard where the players have that respectful fear of their coach, and they love playing for their coach, you know?” Hurley said. “I think it takes a special coach to pull that off.”

Or, as Cronin put it, “You want to win big? But you think Coach Hurley is not supposed to be intense, but you want to win? Come on, man. We’re not coaching little league, buddy, everybody doesn’t get an at-bat.”

–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media

LaMelo Ball’s 29 points led to another big offensive output for the Charlotte Hornets in their 124-101 victory against the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.

Brandon Miller poured in 22 points for the Hornets (37-34), who have won five of their last six games. Charlotte also received contributions from Miles Bridges with 13 points, Coby White with 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 19 minutes off the bench, Moussa Diabate with 11 points and 14 rebounds and Ryan Kalkbrenner with 10 points.

GG Jackson led Memphis with 19 points, while Javon Small provided 17 points and a team-high seven rebounds, Taylor Hendricks had 14 points and Walter Clayton Jr. notched 11 points.

The Grizzlies (24-46), who didn’t have a double-figure scorer in the first half, have lost 10 of their last 11 games.

Led by Ball with seven 3-pointers and Miller with five 3s, the Hornets made 18 shots and shot 41.9% from beyond the arc even with usual-sharpshooter rookie Kon Knueppel going 1-for-6 from deep.

Knueppel was the only Charlotte starter who didn’t shoot better than 47.4% from the field, with Bridges, Diabate and Miller combining to make 19 of 26 shots. The shooting issues for the Hornets popped up at the free-throw line, where they were 16-for-24.

The Grizzlies had widespread 3-point production with four players each hitting three 3s. Still, Memphis fell to 11-24 in road games.

Charlotte handled business on the boards with a 49-34 rebounding edge. Six of Diabate’s rebounds came at the offensive end. That helped the Hornets overcome 18 turnovers.

The Hornets have won three straight to begin a seven-game homestand, putting together some huge second-half production in doing so. Ball has led Charlotte in scoring in two of the last three games.

The Hornets built a 59-47 halftime lead and took a 22-point margin into the fourth quarter.

Cedric Coward, normally a starter for Memphis, missed his second game in a row because of personal reasons.

–Field Level Media