It’s been a while since Alabama basketball’s players have slept in their own beds. The Crimson Tide headed to Spokane, Wash. early for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
After beating Charleston and Grand Canyon there, UA opted to not return to Tuscaloosa and the Central Time zone. Instead, the Tide headed straight to Los Angeles, where it will face North Carolina in the Sweet 16 on Thursday.
According to Alabama forward Grant Nelson, the extra days spent in Pacific Time have helped the Tide acclimate to living two hours behind what it’s used to in Tuscaloosa.
“I think it was better,” Nelson told AL.com on Wednesday. “Just because we get here, we’d be tired around like 9:30 (p.m.), sleep until like 9:30 (a.m.), so I think it’s been good for me. My sleep schedule has definitely been better than it was at home and it makes it easier. Been staying at nice hotels, getting good food, so I think it’s been good.”
North Carolina, the No. 1-seed in the west region, played its first two games in Charlotte. The Tar Heels arrived in California on Tuesday.
UNC faces an even bigger difference than Alabama, coming from Eastern Time, three hours ahead of Los Angeles. The Tar Heels will still be favored, but the extra time on the West Coast could provided some advantage for the Tide.
“It’s kind of a blessing that we didn’t have to come all the way back out here,” Alabama’s Sam Walters said. “It’s a long flight out, like five hours, so it was really good to just chill here, enjoy LA, work on our game and watch film.”
Walters said the team had mostly been relaxing at the hotel during its off-time in the City of Angels, though Alabama’s players did take a trip to Crypto.com Arena to see the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers face the Indiana Pacers. He said he felt the Tide was getting better rest than it would have if it had returned to Alabama and then flown back to California.
Not every member of the Tide felt like the time change was a big deal. Mohamed Wague said he was used to the difference by the round of 32.
Jarin Stevenson also downplayed the impact.
“I don’t think it’s too big of a deal,” Stevenson said. “We’re just focused on one goal and that’s making a deep run in the tournament. I don’t think jetlag has affected us too much, we’re just focused on our goal.”
Alabama and North Carolina are scheduled to face off Thursday following the conclusion of the Arizona-Clemson game. The game will be retired on CBS and will likely tip off around 8:30 p.m. CT.