Alabama begins its quest for a second consecutive Final Four appearance on Friday when it faces Robert Morris in a first-round matchup in the East Region in Cleveland. The No. 2-seeded Crimson Tide (25-8) enter the tournament following a loss to Florida in the SEC semifinals. However, the team’s biggest concern is the health of star forward Grant Nelson. The 6-foot-11 senior, who averages 11.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, is dealing with a left knee injury and remains questionable for Friday. Despite losing three of their past five games, the Crimson Tide still boast the nation’s most potent offense, averaging 91.1 points per game while shooting 48.3% from the field. Even if Nelson is unavailable, Alabama will have

The top-seeded Duke Blue Devils begin their NCAA Tournament journey on Friday against 16th-seeded Mount St. Mary’s in Raleigh, N.C., but much of the focus remains on the status of freshman standout Cooper Flagg. Duke (31-3) enters the tournament riding an 11-game winning streak after capturing the ACC Tournament title. However, Flagg, the team’s leader in scoring (18.9 points), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.1), steals (1.5), and blocks (1.2), has been sidelined since suffering an ankle injury in the ACC quarterfinals. Head coach Jon Scheyer remains optimistic about Flagg’s return but insists the team will take a cautious approach. While Flagg’s availability is in doubt, Duke boasts a deep lineup. Freshman Kon Knueppel, the ACC Tournament MVP, has been a key

Looking to win big? The Mavericks and Red Storm face off at 9:45 ET on CBS. The Red Storm are hosting the game at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, RI. This non-conference matchup has an over/under of 148 points, and St. John’s is favored by -18.5 vs. Omaha. Omaha improved to 20-12 on the season with an 85-75 win over St. Thomas (MN) on Sunday, March 9th. The Mavericks, who were +4 point underdogs, not only pulled off the upset but also covered the spread. Omaha led 39-33 at halftime and scored 46 points in the 2nd half while allowing 42. The total points for the game reached 160, surpassing the O/U line of 153. Omaha put up 85 points

At 10:00 ET, the Sacramento Kings (-267) will host the Chicago Bulls (+220) in a non-conference matchup. The Kings are currently favored by 7 points and have won two straight games. The Bulls are 9th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 29-40, while the Kings are 9th in the Western Conference with a record of 35-33. This game can be seen on NBCS and will take place at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The over/under line for this game is 234.5 points. The Bulls dropped to 29-40 on the season after a 127-121 road loss to the Suns on Wednesday. Chicago entered the game as +5.5 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread. The total points