March Madness in the Magic City: No. 1 Alabama Brings NCAA Tournament Back to Birmingham

The Crimson Tide will play its first — and potential second — NCAA tournament game just 55 miles away from home.

Austin Hannon | Mar 16, 2023

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Alabama Crimson Tide

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — For the first time in 15 years, Birmingham, Ala. will host NCAA tournament games.

The Magic City hasn’t hosted the Big Dance since 2008. Since then, the BJCC, now Legacy Arena, has undergone massive renovations — and now it’s ready to bring the event back.

When Birmingham won its bid to host in 2020, it probably did not think it would get to play host to the two biggest schools in the state — but here we are.

Both Alabama and Auburn will take the floor at Legacy Arena this weekend. The Crimson Tide is the top overall seed in the bracket while the Tigers are very fortunate — getting to play in front of many of their fans as a No. 9 seed.

With just two wins on a semi-neutral floor, Alabama will be on its way to the Sweet 16. The Crimson Tide is excited for that opportunity.

“We're excited to be playing in Birmingham,” head coach Nate Oats said. “When they announced [that the] first two rounds would be in Birmingham, we knew we would have to play well to be able to get to choose our site. Players have done a great job putting together a good season so we could play close to Tuscaloosa so our fans could come support us. We're excited — first time in program history to be No. 1 seed. Excited to come in and try to win a couple games here in Birmingham.”

“It's always nice to play in front of your own fans. I think it gives you a little extra energy. This isn't technically a home game, but I sure hope that Legacy [Arena] is packed out like a home game. It's been nice to play in front of our own fans and some friendly fans in Coleman. I hope we get a similar treatment here at Legacy.”

With home-court advantage playing a huge role in college basketball this year and every year, it’s good to look up at the stands and see your own supporters — especially on a stage like this.

“It’s a great feeling,” forward Charles Bediako said. “My family is actually down here — they flew down from Toronto. I’m pretty excited. Glad to have them here. [Alabama fans] showed up in Nashville like it was our home court. This should be just as big.”

“Last year we played in San Diego — across the country,” forward Noah Gurley said. “I’d much rather play here at home for sure.”

Alabama lost to Gonzaga on Dec. 17 at Legacy Arena. Is there any advantage to already playing in Birmingham this season?

“That was a long time ago,” forward Noah Clowney said. “We’ve shot on a lot of different rims since then so I wouldn’t say it’s much of an advantage but I do think we’re going to have pretty much a home crowd while we’re here so it should be fun.”

Oats is just 1-2 at Legacy Arena during his tenure with the Crimson Tide — including back-to-back losses. He and his Alabama team look to change that on Thursday afternoon in the Round of 64 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Tipoff is set for 1:45 p.m. CT on CBS.

Austin Hannon joined the BamaCentral team in December 2022. He graduated from The University of Alabama with a degree in sports media and brings a ton of journalism experience. Hannon is the former sports editor of The Crimson White, the University's school newspaper. Hannon's coverage focuses primarily on Alabama football, men's basketball and baseball. Contact: cahannon01@gmail.com

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