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The South Region of the NCAA Tournament kicks off its opening round action with a head-to-head between No. 1 Alabama (29-5) and No. 16 Texas A&M- Corpus Christi from Legacy Arena in Birmingham.
We have the rundown on the matchup, including where you can stream the action and what to expect in Thursday afternoon’s game.
2023 March Madness: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Date: Thursday, March 16
Start time: 2:45 p.m. ET
TV channel: CBS
Live stream: March Madness Live
The Crimson Tide are a popular pick to not only make it to the Final Four but to potentially cut down the nets once it's all said and done. While the offense can be hit or miss, it’s been the defense that has remained constant throughout the season, and it starts with big man Charles Bediako. The seven-foot sophomore earned a spot on the All-SEC defensive team and was an All-SEC Tournament team member. Of course, Alabama’s national title hopes take a huge boost from having Brandon Miller in the lineup, who leads the team with 19.6 PPG.
The Redhawks are battle-tested, to say the least, after capturing an OVC title in surprising fashion by winning four games over the course of four days, all by at least seven points, to steal an automatic bid. They average 77.7 points offensively while surrendering 76.0 defensively, so for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to have any hope of pulling off the unthinkable they’ll need to score at will to make up for a susceptible defense.