What Birmingham Regional NCAA tournament players know about Alabama
What do NCAA Women’s Tournament basketball players at Birmingham Regional know about state of Alabama? Not much. That’s what we found out.
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Duke put up a whopping 100 points to beat Arizona in the Sweet 16, and it will still be Thursday’s second-most prolific team, points-wise, in Sunday’s second Elite Eight matchup.
That honor goes to Alabama, which entered the record books with a staggering 25 3-pointers made against BYU in its last game en route to a 113-88 win over the Cougars. The win positions the Crimson Tide just one game away from their second straight Final Four appearance, after making their first ever last season.
Watch Duke vs Alabama on Sling TV
That stands in stark contrast to a Duke team that is blueblood as blueblood gets in the basketball realm. Led by Cooper Flagg, Duke is seeking its 18th Final Four appearance and first under Jon Scheyer. Flagg put up 30 points in Duke’s win over Arizona, his second highest-total of the season. Flagg may need to take over in a similar way to beat Mark Sears, who scored 34 in Alabama’s rainstorm against BYU.
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| Team | 1H | 2H | Final |
| Duke | 46 | 10 | — |
| Alabama | 37 | 11 | — |
This section will be updated
Cooper Flagg made his way to the rim early in the second half looking to end up on a poster by throwing it down on Alabama forward Grant Nelson. Instead, Flagg was on the on the less-desirable end of the exchange, with Nelson meeting him mid-air and sending his shot back.
You can see the play here:
Cooper Flagg, Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils are 20 minutes from the Final Four, with a 46-37 halftime lead over Alabama in their Elite Eight matchup. Flagg’s fellow Duke freshman Kon Knueppel leads all scorers with 11 points while Flagg has 10. Mark Sears has been relatively quiet for the Crimson Tide, with only two points on 1-of-4 shooting two days after going off for 34 points in a Sweet 16 win against BYU.
Duke has made 18 of its 32 shots (56.3%), including 5 of its 9 3-pointers (55.6%).
After missing Duke’s first three games in the NCAA Tournament, Maliq Brown returned to the court for the Blue Devils late in the first half. Brown, a Syracuse transfer, has been a defensive ace for Duke for much of the season, but has dislocated his shoulder twice in the past two months and is wearing a large black sleeve on his shoulder.
In a frenetic, fast-paced game, Duke has an early 23-17 advantage over Alabama at the second media timeout of the first half. The Blue Devils are off to a blistering offensive start, making 9 of their first 15 shots, including 3 of their first 4 3-pointers. Tyrese Proctor is leading the way for Duke in the opening minutes, with seven points.
Flagg has 10 points at halftime, along with five rebounds, two assists, a block and two turnovers.
Two days after racking up 34 points in a Sweet 16 win against BYU, Sears has five points at the first media timeout of the second half, along with four assists and three turnovers. He didn’t make his first 3-pointer of the night until 16:17 remained in regulation. He made 10 3s in the victory against BYU.
As only a freshman, the Duke star and presumptive No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft has emerged as one of the front-runners for various national player of the year awards. In what will almost certainly be his only college season, the ACC player of the year and first-team All-American is averaging 19 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 48.7% from the field and 37.2% from 3-point range.
An Alabama native who transferred into the program after two seasons at Ohio, Sears is the catalyst of a high-powered, fast-paced Alabama offense. The Crimson Tide point guard, a first-team All-American this season, is averaging 19 points, 5.1 assists and three rebounds per game this season while shooting 40.9% from the field and 34.8% from 3-point range during the 2024-25 campaign.
What conference is Duke in?
Duke hails from the ACC, and is the conference’s lone representative in the Elite Eight. The SEC leads all Elite Eight teams with four teams (Florida, Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee), followed by the Big 12 (Houston and Texas Tech), Big Ten (Michigan State) and ACC.
What channel is the Duke game on?
- TV Channel: TBS/truTV
- Stream: Sling TV | Max
Duke vs Alabama will stream on TBS and truTV. Viewers and cord-cutters can find the game on Sling TV, which carries the Warner Bros. Discovery family of networks, or Max, which is airing March Madness games live.
Duke vs Alabama betting odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Saturday, March 29
- Spread: Duke (-7.5)
- O/U: 174.5
- Moneyline: Duke -325 | Alabama +260
Duke vs Alabama expert predictions
- Emilee Smarr, Tuscaloosa News: Alabama 89, Duke 81: The Crimson Tide has never taken down the Blue Devils, but there’s a first time for everything, and another 25-for-51 performance from 3 could do it. Another night like that would be nice against a team of Blue Devils that’s shooting over 38% from 3 while limiting opponents to about 30% around the perimeter, just like Alabama’s defense. …
- Rodd Baxley, The Fayetteville Observer: Duke 85, Alabama 79: Both teams have elite bucket-getters, but the Blue Devils are far better at stacking stops. As it has for most of the season, Duke’s defense will be the difference. Jon Scheyer’s Devils will beat the Crimson Tide and cut down the nets in Jersey.
What time is Duke vs Alabama today?
Duke and Alabama are in the late slot Saturday, getting an 8:49 p.m. tip-off time from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. However, the game could be delayed if the first game of the night, Florida-Texas Tech, runs long.
There are two Elite Eight games taking place in the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament on Saturday, with the final two matchups of the national quarterfinals being held on Sunday.
- West Region: No. 1 seed Florida 84, No. 3 seed Texas Tech 79
- East Region: No. 1 seed Duke vs. No. 2 seed Alabama, 8:59 p.m. ET
