When Alabama guard Aden Holloway was arrested and essentially taken off the team, at least until something changes, it raised some questions about how the Crimson Tide would play going forward.
It felt like Michigan basketball might even avoid playing Alabama in the Sweet 16. Texas Tech was looking formidable until Nate Oats' crew splashed 19 3-pointers and ran them out of the gym in the second round, setting up the No. 1 vs No. 4 in the Midwest Region in Chicago on Friday night.
The Wolverines, ranked No. 3 in the polls and seeded as the No. 3 overall team in the tournament, are a double-digit favorite. However, Alabama is no stranger to being in this position. The Crimson Tide upset North Carolina two years ago as the No. 1 seed, besting a team with Elliot Cadeau on it, in part because of the way the Crimson Tide played off him and forced Hubert Davis to change his lineup.
Cadeau's 3-point shooting, which has been much better this season than anyone expected at 37 percent, could be a factor. However, the bigger factor might be the ability of Alabama to defensive rebound against a Michigan team that dominates on the glass, in addition to boasting one of the best offenses in college basketball (6th via Kenpom).
A weakness of Alabama's Michigan basketball can exploit
The Wolverines scored at least 95 points in both NCAA Tournament wins. They also made at least 46 percent of their 3-point shots. Alabama's defense is ranked 60th via the Kenpom rankings, so the Tide have issues on that end of the court.
One of the biggest is the fact that they have a defensive rebounding rate of 68.3. It was 67.3. The Tide has allowed teams to rebound nearly 31 percent of their missed shots, which isn't a great sign against a Michigan basketball team rebounding 35 percent of its misses (87th percentile via CBB Analytics).
Alabama will have a hard enough time stopping Michigan, but if it can't grab offensive rebounds either, it's hard to see Bama winning the game, no matter how many 3-pointers it makes.