No. 13 Seed Hofstra Battles Fourth-Seeded Alabama in 2026 NCAA Tournament First Round

No. 13 Seed Hofstra Battles Fourth-Seeded Alabama in 2026 NCAA Tournament First Round

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Dylan Smith

RICHMOND, Va. – An incredible 2025-26 season came to a close for CAA Champion and 13th-seeded Hofstra in the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship First Round, putting forth a valiant effort before falling to No. 4 seed Alabama, 90-70, inside Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Fla., on Friday afternoon. The Pride finished the season with a 24-11 record.
 
CAA Freshman of the Year Preston Edmead became just the fifth CAA freshman to log at least 20 points in an NCAA Tournament game, posting 24 points, four rebounds and four assists. CAA Player of the Year Cruz Davis chipped in 14 points and six helpers, while German Plotnikov and Biggie Patterson added 12 and 11 points apiece, respectively.
 
The Crimson Tide’s Labaron Philon led all scorers with 29 points, adding eight boards and seven assists.
 
After Alabama went ahead by six out of the gate, Plotnikov connected on a triple from the wing before Davis went coast-to-coast for a finish at the rim to cut the deficit quickly to one, 8-7. The Pride continued to put the Crimson Tide on their heels, eventually unloading back-to-back trifectas from Davis and Patterson to spark a 9-0 run, part of a larger 16-2 scoring spree, to take a 28-18 edge with 9:20 to play in the first half.
 
The two programs locked in defensively over the next six minutes, despite Alabama slashing its deficit in half, 30-25, at the under-four media timeout. The Crimson Tide closed the half on a 15-5 run to take a two-point edge, 37-35, at the break. Aidan Sherrell notched 12 of his 15 points in the opening frame for Bama, finishing with 15 boards.
 
The Crimson Tide bumped its lead to double digits after opening the second half on a 13-4 run. The Pride’s Edmead refused to let the No. 4 seed run away with the game, countering with a trio of treys to make it a seven-point game, 62-55, with 9:34 to play. Plotnikov helped work it down to five, 64-59, with an open layup down the lane and a turnover slam in transition less than 50 seconds later. The Pride continued to respond to Philon’s scoring abilities over the next four minutes until the Crimson Tide closed the game on a 19-4 run.
 
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