March Madness is hitting fever pitch and The University of Alabama has just secured its spot in the Sweet 16, thanks in no small part to a standout performance from Mark Sears and a last-minute blitz by Mouhamed Dioubate. In a high-stakes hustle that fans won't soon forget, Alabama outplayed Grand Canyon with a definitive 72-61 win last night. Sears, a driving force for the Crimson Tide all season, didn't disappoint with a 26-point, 12-rebound spectacle that set tongues wagging and hearts racing.
Yet, it was Dioubate, the 6-foot-7 freshman who took everyone by surprise in the game's dying minutes. With only nine points under his belt up to that point, Dioubate turned up the heat when it mattered the most – tossing in all nine of his game points in the last 5 1/2 minutes, according to The State Journal. This was a game, seemingly teetering on a knife's edge, until Dioubate delivered the goods.
With Grand Canyon holding a one-point lead with just over six minutes remaining on the clock, Alabama's fortunes hung in the balance. The usually quiet Dioubate, came through with a three-point play that seemed to change everything for Alabama. "I was just playing hard and I got lost in the game, honestly. I wasn’t thinking about scoring. I just let the game come to me," Dioubate told 12 News.
The freshman's willingness to "let the game come to him" proved pivotal, those nine points might as well have been made of gold. Sport is often a game of moments, and for Alabama – Dioubate's clutch performance was the juncture that solidified their advance. Alabama coach Nate Oats recognized the contribution of his players: Sears’s resilience matched by Dioubate's timely intervention. "Sears wasn’t going to lose. He wasn’t letting us lose tonight," Oats praised, as per 12 News.
With this victory, the Tide sails into the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years under Oats's guidance. Their next challenge is a tantalizing face-off against top-seeded North Carolina. While the roster had to adjust to the absence of Latrell Wrightsell Jr., who suffered a head injury in the first half, their depth showed – marking an impressive team effort. The question now looms: Will Wrightsell return to bolster Alabama's line-up? As they look ahead to their next skirmish, the Tar Heels await, with the tide of the tournament rising ever higher.
