Alabama Beats Hofstra to Advance, What Fans and Experts Are Saying About March Madness Win

Alabama overcame an early deficit to Hofstra while advancing past the first round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament on Friday afternoon in Tampa.

The Crimson Tide claimed a 90-70 comeback win to eliminate Hofstra and advance to face Texas Tech.

This marks the first time in Crimson Tide history that Alabama has won four straight first-round NCAA men's basketball tournament games.

Viewers were impressed with Alabama's ability to keep the streak alive by overcoming Hofstra's 10-point first-half lead.

Alabama, which was favorited to win over Hofstra heading into the Midwest Region matchup, fell behind early in Friday's first half.

That's when Hofstra when on a 16-2 run to pull out to a double digit lead with nine minutes remaining in the first.

The Crimson Tide steadily chipped away at that deficit for the rest of the half, eventually getting back on in front with a layup from Labaron Philon Jr. in the final minute before the break.

Alabama went on to outscore Hofstra 53-35 in the second half to turn that narrow margin into a blowout victory.

Philon finished the win with 36 points to both set his personal NCAA Tournament record and becoming the highest-scoring sophomore in Crimson Tide history.

Aiden Sherell posted his third double-double of the season with a 15-point, 15-rebound outing for the Crimson Tide, while Taylor Bol Bowen contributed 15 points off the bench. Preston Edmead led Hofstra with 24 points in the loss.

Texas Tech already secured their own spot in the second round with a 91-71 win over Akron on Thursday. They're now set to play Alabama on Sunday at a time yet to be determined.

The Red Raiders are playing without star guard JT Toppin, who suffered a season-ending torn ACL in February. The team still showed off their depth without Toppin as five players put up double-digit point totals against Akron.

Alabama may need better early defense than the team displayed against Hofstra in order to make it past Texas Tech and into the Sweet 16.