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NCAA Tournament 2018 Round 2, Alabama Vs. Villanova (March 17): Game Time Start, TV Channel Info

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 11: Kris Jenkins #2 of the Villanova Wildcats drives to the basket against Cole Huff #13 of the Creighton Bluejays during the Big East Basketball Tournament - Championship Game at Madison Square Garden on March 11, 2017 in New York City.

Alabama’s No. 9-seed men’s basketball team reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday with an 86-83 victory over No. 8-seed Virginia Tech.

Alabama vs. Villanova NCAA Round 2 preview

The Crimson Tide (20-15) next faces No. 1-seed Villanova (32-4) on Saturday (St. Patrick’s Day!) in Pittsburgh.

The game will begin at 12:10pm EST and will air on CBS.

This will be the first of eight March Madness games played Saturday. Duke and Rhode Island will also face off.

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Alabama’s win over Virginia Tech was the first NCAA Tournament victory for the Tide since the 2005-06 season, when it also advanced to the second round. Should Alabama defeat the Wildcats, it would move on to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2003-04, when it played in the Elite Eight.

The Tide shot 60.9 percent from the field in Thursday’s win over the Hokies, a game that featured ten lead changes and ten ties. Alabama’s Collin Sexton played a great second half after a slow start: he scored 22 of his 25 points in the final 20 minutes of the game.

NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 11: Kris Jenkins #2 of the Villanova Wildcats drives to the basket against Cole Huff #13 of the Creighton Bluejays during the Big East Basketball Tournament – Championship Game at Madison Square Garden on March 11, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Pablo Mena

Writer and assistant editor for usports.org. NY Giants and Rangers fan. Film and TV enthusiast (especially Harry Potter and The Office) and lover of foreign languages and cultures.