Philon Shines, Tide Rolls
Mar 20, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Labaron Philon (0) shoots in the second half against the Hofstra Pride during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images The 4th seeded Tide got 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists from Labaron Philon and defeated 13th seeded Hofstra 90-70 on Friday afternoon in Tampa. The Alabama Crimson Tide opened NCAA Tournament play on Friday afternoon in Tampa, FL.
The 4th seeded Crimson Tide defeated the 13th seeded Hofstra Pride 90-70 in the game and advances to play 5th seeded Texas Tech on Sunday. The game will be in TBS and is scheduled for 8:45 p. m; CT.
With second leading scorer Aden Holloway unavailable after his arrest this week, the Tide had yet another different starting lineup. Coach Nate Oats went with the quartet of Labaron Philon, Latrell Wrightsell, Amari Allen, London Jemison, and Aiden Sherrell. Hofstra countered with Preston Edmead, Joshua Decady, Cruz Davis, German Plotinikov, and Silas Sunday.
The Tide started off fast with Jemison making a steal and a length of the court basket, Sherrell made a couple of free throws, and Philon made two quick baskets for an 8-2 lead. Taylor Bol Bowen came in and hit a three pointer and had a chance for an old fashioned three point play but missed the freebie. With 14:54 left in the half Bama led 13-9.
The Pride took the lead at 18-16 with 11:39 left. Hofstra went on a 16-2 run and led 28-18 with 8:55 remaining in the period. At this point the Tide was 2-11 from deep.
Continue to the original source for the full article.