The No. 1 overall seed in the 2023 men’s NCAA tournament has fallen, as Alabama shockingly lost in the Sweet 16 on Friday to No. 5-seed San Diego State, 71–64.
The Aztecs, led by coach Brian Dutcher in his sixth season, turned in a physical performance to eliminate the Crimson Tide, and become the first Mountain West team in history to advance to the Elite Eight. Prior to Friday, the Mountain West had gone 0–6 in the Sweet 16.
SDSU took a 28–23 lead into halftime, but appeared in danger of squandering the upset when Alabama surged to a nine-point lead, 48–39, with 11:39 to play. The Aztecs jumped back out in front with a 12-0 run to take a 51-48 lead with 8:39 left and held a narrow lead for most of the remainder of the game.
