Day One of the 2026 NCAA Tournament is officially in the books, and boy was it a doozy of a day. A trio of teams seeded 11 or worse pulled off outright upsets – highlighted by High Point’s electric win over Wisconsin – and we came awfully close to seeing our third ever 16-seed advance to the Second Round, as the Siena Saints came up just shy of knocking off the #1 overall seeded Duke Blue Devils. One of those 11-seeds – VCU – pulled off the largest First Round comeback in the history of the Big Dance
as North Carolina completely collapsed in the last ten minutes of the game.
It was a classic March day of madness, and we get to do it all over again today. Even better, our beloved Alabama Crimson Tide will join in on the action this afternoon, as Nate Oats leads the Tide onto the court for the sixth straight year in the NCAA Tournament – tied for the most consecutive appearances in program history (1982-87). The opponent for the 4th-seeded Tide will be the 13th-seeded Hofstra Pride of the Coastal Athletic Association (formerly the Colonial Athletic Association).
The Pride will be making its fifth ever appearance in the Big Dance, the last coming back in 2001 when Jay Wright was coaching them. Wright actually took them to back-to-back appearances before getting the job at Villanova, where he led the Wildcats to a quartet of Final Fours and a pair of National Championships over twenty years of a Hall of Fame career. Hofstra has never even won an NCAA Tournament game.
How to Watch
What: #4 seed Alabama Crimson Tide (23-9, 13-5 SEC) vs #13 seed Hofstra Pride (24-10, CAA Champs)
Where: Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, FL
When: 2:15 PM CDT
TV: truTV
Line: Alabama -11.5 (According to FanDuel)
Hofstra is currently coached by Speedy Claxton, who actually played for Wright for the first of those two NCAA Tournament teams at the turn of the century. Claxton went on to be drafted 20th overall in the 2000 NBA Draft and spent the entirety of the 2000s playing in the league, even winning a championship in 2003 with the San Antonio Spurs. The former point guard has bestowed his knowledge of the position well on his current Pride team, as Hofstra is led by a pair of dynamic guards in Cruz Davis (20.2 PPG, 4.6 APG, 3.7 RPG) and Preston Edmead (15.9 PPG, 4.4 APG, 3.5 RPG).
Both guards can really score (Cruz: 44.3%/39.9%/82.9%; Edmead: 40.4%/38.3%/83.3%) and they both took turns hitting big-time shots during their CAA Tournament run. Edmead was particularly clutch for Hofstra in the semifinal overtime win against Towson. Alabama’s backcourt will have their hands full with these guys. The Pride has a pair of near seven-footers from across the pond, and both have REB% hovering around 20%.
Three Keys to Victory
- Control the Tempo. This is a classic clash of styles when it comes to how each team approaches pace. Alabama is 4th in the country in Adjusted Tempo; Hofstra is 317th. The Pride like to limit possessions and work the shot clock when they have the ball, hoping to lull the defense to sleep and catch them with off-ball movement. Alabama has a significant advantage when it comes to talent and athleticism, and they need to flex those strengths against this team early and often. The Tide has never been very good at forcing turnovers under Oats, but this year’s edition may be his worst in that department (362nd in the country). That could be a real issue when trying to control the flow of the game.
- Win the Three-Point Battle. Both of these teams like to let it fly from beyond the arc, as Alabama ranks first in all of college hoops in 3PA/FGA and 70th in 3P%, while Hofstra stands at 107th and 31st, respectively. In a game where attempts could be at a premium if the Tide can’t push the pace, the three-ball could be a huge equalizer for Hofstra if Alabama ends up on the wrong end of the margin here. It definitely doesn’t help that Aden Holloway and his 42.8% 3P% won’t be available.
- Find a Secondary Creator. Speaking of Holloway, the Tide is really going to have to find another consistent playmaker if Holloway doesn’t end up playing at all this postseason. Obviously, Labaron Philon is one of the best creators in all of college basketball, but if teams are able to limit his effectiveness or he ends up on the bench due to fatigue or foul trouble, Alabama could end up really stagnant on offense. Latrell Wrightsell and Houston Mallette will be logging a lot of minutes in the backcourt now, but both of them are more shooters than shot creators. Can Jalil Bethea take advantage of this opportunity? Will Amari Allen get back to his earlier season form offensively? These are significant questions now for Nate Oats.
The Crimson Tide is a substantial favorite in this game, and if history is any indicator, Nate Oats really hasn’t had many issues with low-to-mid major teams during his time in Tuscaloosa, so it’s hard to project that will change today. Still, Hofstra is a dangerous team with an obvious path to an upset victory – control the tempo, hit big shots, keep Philon out of the paint, and take advantage of Holloway’s absence – so the guys better be ready to go out and perform.
Where will the journey end up for the 2026 edition of the Tide? It’s been a bit of a roller coaster this season thus far, so hopefully things close out on a high note. Roll Tide, folks, and Hope for the Best.
