Crimson Tide fans in Wiregrass gear up for historic Final Four matchup

DOTHAN, Ala. (WDHN) — The March Madness bug is contagious and it has bitten Alabama sports fans across the country and here in the Wiregrass, as the Crimson Tide are headed to their first Final Four in school history.

“I don’t watch basketball too often, but I have followed it for this postseason run,” Alabama fan, Daniel Axtell said. “My friends and I talk about it most of the day in our group chat.”

This postseason run marks the longest run in the NCAA tournament for the Tide since 2004 and it has caught the eyes of some fans, who usually use the first of the year to prepare for Crimson Tide football.

“We are not used to basketball being front and center this time of year, but I enjoy it,” Axtell said.

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament starts with 68 teams and the Crimson Tide came into as a four-seed in their region.

Alabama cruised through the first round against Charleston, escaped a scare from Grand Canyon in the second round, upset one-seed and basketball blue-blood North Carolina in the Sweet 16. Then, they beat a gritty Clemson team in the Elite 8 to punch their ticket to Phoenix, Arizona.

“They have always been a football school and I never really watched basketball, but I may need to start watching them since they made the Final Four,” Alabama fan, Pate Pritchett said.

This Cinderella run has also hit businesses that sell Crimson Tide apparel like Bama Fever-Tiger Pride in Dothan.

The store owner says they have Final Four t-shirts coming in later this week, as they expect a rush of customers before the Crimson Tide play on Saturday night against the Connecticut Huskies.

UConn is the defending national champion and is a team that has almost seemed unbeatable in this tournament, winning by nearly 28 points in every matchup.

However, Alabama fans hope their team can pull off the upset so that the clock doesn’t strike midnight for the tide and instead they send the Huskies home without a prince.

“I just hope to see them pull it out,” Axtell said. “I want to be able to cheer on that championship.”

“I hope they win,” Pritchett said. “Let’s go. Roll tide.”

That matchup against the Connecticut Huskies will be played on Saturday at 7:39 p.m.

With a win, the Crimson Tide would be just one win away from a national championship.

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