Look, up in the sky … it’s a bird, it’s a plane … it’s an Alabama 3!
Bombs away, Tide, bombs away. That’s how you roll, Tide.
When it rains 3s, it pours, and Maryland was swept away on Monday night by an Alabama monsoon.
When the Tide comes in like this, every 3-point shot is the equivalent of a layup for them.
They launched 33 3s and made 16. To hell with the midrange jump shot indeed. Maryland tried to fight long-range fire with long-range fire, but flamed out (10 of 27).
It was a performance that would have impressed Nick Saban and invoked memories of Paul Westhead’s hifalutin Loyola Marymount juggernaut of yesteryear.
No. 2 Alabama, a 96-77 winner at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, will meet No. 11 UCLA in an East Regional Sweet 16. It is the Tide’s first Sweet 16 appearance since 2004.
“I feel like when we get stops, our offense is hard to guard,” Jaden Shackelford said.
A 40-19 rebounding edge didn’t hurt either.
The Tide was buoyed by the return of guard Josh Primo (knee), who last played in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
A pair of 3s by John Petty and another pair from Shackelford pushed Alabama’s lead to 65-42. It completed a 14-0 run that devastated Maryland and was finally ended on a layin by Aaron Wiggins (27 points).
Alex Reese drilled four 3s in five attempts and the Tide drained 8 of 17 3s for a 46-28 halftime lead. Jahvon Quinerly dished out nine of his 11 assists.
“He ran the team well today,” Shackelford said.
Wiggins (13 points) and Eric Ayala (9 points) kept Maryland within striking distance. The Tide bench owned a 24-7 advantage over the Terps’ bench.
This post first appeared on Nypost.com
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