As Robert Morris prepared to face Alabama basketball to begin the NCAA Tournament, Colonial guard Kam Woods, a native of the Yellowhammer state, was asked about UA’s Mark Sears during a press conference on Thursday. Woods was largely complimentary, but stressed that Sears is “human” and expressed confidence in his No. 15-seeded team.
“We’re just looking forward to the matchup,” Woods said. “It’s a matchup that a lot of mid-majors in the country want, so we’re just taking it as a regular game, no matter the impact on the names.”
Alabama must have heard. Robert Morris scared the Crimson Tide, even taking a second-half lead. Still, UA won and advanced to the second round, where it will play Saint Mary’s on Sunday.
After the game, Crimson Tide forward Mo Dioubate recalled the comments, and said the game featured plenty of conversations on the court.
“I love it, I love that energy,” Dioubate said. “The other team, they started getting a little chirpy. We responded. We did a little talking too, but we responded on the court. They said, prior to the game, they was looking for a matchup like this all year. We gave their ass what they wanted. So we love it. We love that energy man. We’re gonna always respond the right way.”
Dioubate finished the game with 18 points. He also led the Crimson Tide in rebounds, with 10.
He said the trash talk on the court is one of the things he enjoys about playing basketball.
“I’m from New York City, so I love that kind of energy sometimes,” Dioubate said. “It’s necessary for the game, to bring fun into it. Make guys play harder. So they were doing a lot of talking man, and we just responded man. We don’t care who you are, what team you is, what ranking. If you’re a good team, bad team, it don’t matter. We’re gonna bring the same energy to anybody.”
Next up, Alabama faces Saint Mary’s. The Crimson Tide and Gaels will face off Sunday at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, with a trip to the Sweet Sixteen on the line.