RESULTS| STATS| HISTORY | MESSAGE BOARD | ALABAMA INSIDER

Will lose when ... Winston and Shelton are reasonably contained. Famous Last Words With a veteran crew last year, the Tide folded down the stretch and barely made the Tournament. This season, a young team earned its way in by playing well against one of the nation's toughest schedules. Complete team report Before filling in your bracket, check out Insider's Tournament Guide. Insider Tour | Sign up now

TO THIS POINT    
At-Large Bid
How They Got Here: Alabama's transformation from road patsy to road warrior is now complete with the Crimson Tide's second-round NCAA Tournament victory over No. 1 seeded Stanford in the Phoenix Regional. A notoriously poor team away from home the previous three years despite the presence of such stars as Erwin Dudley and Mo Williams, Alabama has reversed its fortunes behind the play of some scrappy overachievers.

Among the players who took out the Cardinal, perhaps only Kennedy Winston can be considered a star. But with the likes of former walk-on guard, Antoine "Mr. Clutch" Pettway, a no-name group of post players and some improved 3-point and free-throw shooting, this team has become the first at Alabama to advance to the Sweet 16 since 1991, when Wimp Sanderson was coaching.

Pettway's game-winning floater in the lane against Southern Illinois in a first-round game ensured the Tide a crack at Stanford. Evidence of Alabama's newfound confidence came during a timeout and the Tide trailing the Cardinal by 13 points. Alabama had just missed 16 of its previous 17 shots, but coach Mark Gottfried assured his players they were going to win. Thus inspired, the Tide went out and scored 16 straight points to take a lead, then withstood a furious Stanford rally.

Now it's on to Phoenix and a Sweet 16 match-up against defending national champion Syracuse. This will be the second straight Sweet 16 game against an SEC team for the Orangemen (who barely out-lasted Auburn a year ago) and figures to be another down-to-the-wire affair for the Tide, which is building momentum as the tournament heads into its second week. Both teams have marquee frontcourt players in 'Bama's Winston and Syracuse's Hakim Warrick, and both have dependable guards, notably the Orangemen's Gerry McNamara and the Tide's Pettway. Can the Tide solve Syracuse's zone? A good three-point shooting team, Alabama will also have to penetrate the gaps of the zone and attack its middle if it hopes to full off another upset.

Now, the Tide was on the bubble until the final week of the regular season saw 'Bama go into Starkville and knock off the SEC regular season champions. The Tide's signature win was followed by three more victories to move them into the field of 65. Losing by a point to MSU at home and then on a Florida buzzer-beater in the SEC quarterfinals showed Alabama can play with anyone ... and often times come out on top.

PLAYER TO WATCH      
Kennedy Winston | F | Sophomore
With a name like Kennedy Winston, is it any surprise that the Alabama sophmore is a leader and multi-talented performer? A first-team all-SEC player, Winston can score, shoot, rebound and defend. The Tide's athletic leading scorer will need to produce consistently if Alabama is to advance.