Alabama Freshmen Aiden Sherrell, Derrion Reid Taking in First NCAA Tournament

The freshman Crimson Tide forwards are excited to play in the Big Dance.

Alabama Crimson Tide forward Derrion Reid (35) and Alabama Crimson Tide forward Aiden Sherrell (22) defend Purdue Boilermakers forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, during the NCAA men’s basketball game at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CLEVELAND— High expectations surround the Alabama men's basketball program for its 2025 trip to the NCAA Tournament. One year removed from the first Final Four appearance in team history, two Crimson Tide freshmen are taking in the journey as they vie with their teammates to reach another.

"I'm super excited. It's a historical tournament and everything. We worked hard to get here," forward Aiden Sherrell said on Thursday. "As a young guy, I try to take as much as I can. Be a sponge and soak in all the experiences, all the lessons and everything."

Fellow freshman Derrion Reid (who enters the weekend with 6.4 points and three rebounds a game) joins Sherrell in experiencing March Madness for the first time as a college player. Both athletes are former McDonald's All-Americans.

"[I'm] just living in the moment with this team," Reid said Thursday. "It's most definitely a good learning experience." He is still working back from injury, last recording double-digit minutes back on February 1 against Georgia; he answered in the affirmative on whether he was good to go in Cleveland.

Sherrell has averaged 8.6 minutes per game, playing in 32 contests of a possible 33. He has 20 rebounds combined in the three most recent Crimson Tide games, tying his season high of seven boards in two of those three showings.

"I would say I've grown the most in, I would say playmaking for sure," Sherrell said. "Getting my teammates open, and that's a priority to me, to create for my teammates. Whether it's a screen, assists, whatever."

Reid pointed out that he's playing in the Big Dance at the age of 18. He said playing around an experienced group has helped him come a long way to get to this point, where he can use his athleticism to make a difference now that he's back on the floor.

"It most definitely matured me a lot," he said. "[I've been] learning a lot of stuff from the older guys and even some young guys. We all more mature than our ages."

Alabama, which is the East Region's No. 2 seed, will get its 2025 NCAA Tournament dance underway against No. 15 Robert Morris (26-8) at 11:40 a.m. CT on Friday.

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Robert Morris Head Coach Andrew Toole Discusses Opportunity to Play Alabama