Alabama's electric offense and dominant rebounding overwhelmed Texas Tech. The Crimson Tide surged ahead with a massive run, securing a spot in the Sweet 16.
The Texas Tech faced off against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Sunday night in the round of 32 in Tampa, Florida.
Tech put up a very impressive performance in the first round against Akron, but the Tide's offense proved to be too electric, and they eliminated the Red Raiders 90-65 to advance to the Sweet 16.
The two teams had some back and forth, but Alabama was able to show their elite scoring ability and take a sixteen point lead at a timeout just under halfway through the first half.
The game was tied up at seven points apiece early, but a 19-3 run put the Crimson Tide in the driver's seat.
Alabama was also having their way on the boards, as halfway through the opening half, the Tide had the same amount of offensive rebounds as Texas Tech had total rebounds.
The lead grew all the way to 26 with just a few seconds left to play, but a buzzer-beating floater from Texas Tech's Leon Horner made it a 24-point deficit going into the locker room.
Aiden Sherrell of the Tide led all scorers with 10 points, while Horner led the way for the Red Raiders with six off the bench in just seven minutes.
Rebounding was the difference maker in the first half, as Alabama almost doubled the Red Raiders' total in the first 20 minutes of the game. Three-point shooting was also a factor, with the Tide shooting 41 percent to Texas Tech's 15.
The Red Raiders were able to shrink the deficit a few times, but the Crimson Tide got scoring hot from beyond the arc in the second half, which was the driving force in their win. They finished the game 19-for-42 from long range.
Latrell Wrightsell of Alabama led all scorers in the game with 24 points, and he did so shooting 6-for-9 from three. Star guard Labaron Philon Jr. was quieter with nine, but he did just about everything else with 12 assists and six rebounds.
As for the Red Raiders, LeJuan Watts led the way with 16 points, and he also contributed seven rebounds. Donovan Atwell and Horner also put up double-digits with 12 and 10, respectively.
This will be Alabama fourth straight Sweet 16, and they will face off against the top-seeded Michigan Wolverines at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
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