Alabama Basketball Returns to its Roots, Suffocating Maryland With Defense

The Crimson Tide put on a much stronger defensive showing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY NETWORK

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Contrary to popular belief, good Nate Oats teams aren't made by the 3-pointer, but rather by defensive intensity.

In Oats' four seasons at Alabama, his two best teams — 2021 and 2023 — have been anchored by a defense that ranked in the top-3 nationally in defensive efficiency. 

Alabama's defense carried it to an SEC Tournament championship in Nashville last weekend, and after somewhat of a letdown against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday, the defense showed up with a newfound intensity on Saturday.

The Crimson Tide held Maryland to just 51 points in its 22-point victory in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, sending it to the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years.

At the under-16 timeout, Maryland held an 11-8 lead and was seemingly having its way offensively, similar to some of the runs the Islanders went on in Thursday's game. 

"I think they hit their first four field goals," Oats said. "We hung in there. Our defense picked up from there. They hit two out of their next 20 from that, and we outscored them 24-10 and able to keep the lead and hold them off."

From that timeout on, Alabama completely locked in defensively, suffocating Maryland's guards and standing tall on the interior to force difficult 2-point shots.

"We definitely had to tighten up," Alabama guard Nimari Burnett said. "Having more ball pressure, being more gritty when it comes to getting into the ball, kind of directing where we want the offensive player to go."

"We said if they keep on taking contested twos, they won't score enough to beat us," Alabama center Charles Bediako said. "We executed that pretty well."

Jahmir Young, Maryland's leading scorer on the season, scored a modest 12 points on an uninspiring 5-for-13 shooting clip from the floor. Young's primary defender was Jahvon Quinerly, who did an excellent job playing physical defense and frustrating the talented scorer, similar to how he performed against Texas A&M's Wade Taylor IV in the SEC Championship last Sunday.

"When [Quinerly] wants to lock down, he can lock down," Burnett said. "That's what he's been doing lately. "Although it's a team effort, we switch a lot, it was majority him taking on that challenge [of guarding Young]. Fighting over ball screens, getting into the ball, and just taking pride in his matchup."

"I watched a lot of film on [Young], he's a really great player," Quinerly said. "I came into the game, I really wanted to set the tone defensively for my teammates. I wanted to hold him below his average. [...] I feel like I did a good job on him."

For the game, Maryland shot just 35 percent from the floor on 54 shots, and made just one of its eight 3-point attempts.

Once again, Bediako was a force in the paint, racking up two blocks and making life difficult for Maryland big man Julian Reese. Reese scored 14 points in the game, but it wasn't for lack of frustration and dealing with foul trouble, while many of his points came once the game was out of reach and Bediako was on the bench.

Bediako has emerged as one of the best rim protectors in not only the SEC, but all of college basketball over the past month of the season. He's recorded 17 blocks in total over his past five games.

"I've taken on that responsibility of my role," Bediako said. "I've just got to be the anchor, because I can see everything. I've got to keep on building my voice, being an anchor for the defense, fixing my brothers mistakes as they fix my mistakes."

For Bediako, his matchup with Reese meant a little bit more.

"That was kind of a personal game for me, I'm not going to lie," Bediako said. "I played him in high school, and their team got the best of my team. [...] Obviously a bigger stage. He's a great player. He got frustrated, I got frustrated, but we're the team still standing."

After an excellent defensive performance that led to another 20-plus-point margin of victory, the Crimson Tide will have to prepare for another physical team in San Diego State in the Sweet 16. 

Physical teams have given Alabama trouble in he past this season, such as the Crimson Tide's loss on the road to Tennessee, but Maryland's physicality was not only matched, but outdone.

"I think we responded well," Alabama forward Noah Gurley said. "That's one thing about this team, anytime we've been challenged we always bounce back. It was good to learn a lesson against Tennessee, we learned from it in the tournament and it didn't hurt us."

See also:

No. 1 Alabama Advances to Sweet 16 for Second Time in Three Years with Gritty Win Over No. 8 Maryland

Everything Nate Oats, Alabama Basketball Said After Win over Maryland