Football-crazed Alabama sends 4 teams to NCAA hoops tourney

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While no Alabama school was able to bring home a football national championship, four teams from the Heart of Dixie are chasing basketball glory.

No. 2 seed Auburn is the lone Alabama school in the field that counts as anything but a huge longshot to win it all heading into the NCAA Tournament. Still, it’s the first time four teams from Alabama have shared the tournament field.

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The regular-season Southeastern Conference men's champion Tigers face in-state team Jacksonville State Friday in Greenville, South Carolina.

"I’m always pulling for in-state teams. I was pretty excited when I saw them come up on the board because they deserve it," Auburn point guard Zep Jasper said. "They worked super hard this year. Another team I was looking forward to seeing was UAB.

"Those guys are also a great Alabama team. It’s just exciting to see Alabama teams in it together."

Alabama stumbled down the stretch with three straight losses but landed an at-large bid as a No. 6 seed. The Crimson Tide face the winner of No. 11 seeds Notre Dame and Rutgers on Friday in San Diego, California.

Conference USA champion UAB is the 12th seed and faces No. 5 Houston on Friday in Pittsburgh.

Jacksonville State won the regular season ASUN Conference title and grabbed the league's automatic bid because tournament champion Bellarmine isn't eligible after making the move from Division II.

FILE - Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl celebrates the team's Southeastern Conference regular season championship by cutting down the net after an NCAA college basketball game against South Carolina, Saturday, March 5, 2022, in Auburn, Ala.