March Madness is back, and Alabama men’s basketball is back in the NCAA Tournament.

The Crimson Tide, under the direction of coach Nate Oats, will take part in the tournament for the fifth consecutive year. Up first, No. 2 seed Alabama will face No. 15 seed Robert Morris in the Round of 64 in Cleveland.

Win this game, and the Crimson Tide will advance to play the winner of the game between No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s and No. 10 seed Vanderbilt on Sunday.

Before then, Alabama must take care of business against the Colonials in the opening round. Follow along for live updates, analysis, score updates, injury news and more.

Second half

— 15:44, timeout: Mark Sears finally hits a 3, and Alabama holds a 49-44 lead.

— 16:22: Robert Morris scores a transition bucket to close within two. 46-44 Alabama.

— Cliff Omoruyi dunks to score the first points of the second half. That’s his sixth dunk of the game. He now has scored a season-high 17 points.

— Biggest key to start the second half will be winning on the glass more. Rebounds tied 18-18 in the first half, and Robert Morris’ 8-3 advantage on the offensive glass is significant.

First half

— Halftime: Alabama leads 40-36 after Sears hits one of two free throws. Robert Morris won the battle on the offensive glass, grabbing eight O boards to Alabama’s three.

— :11: Robert Morris hits a 3, and cuts the lead to 39-36 Alabama.

— 1:57: Omoruyi has made five dunks in the first half.

— 1:57: Omoruyi is dominating. He blocks a shot, then he goes down on the other end of the court and dunks. Alabama leads 39-31 and Omoruyi has 15 points.

— 3:22: The Robert Morris defense is struggling to answer for Clifford Omoruyi in the paint. He has made all six of his shot attempts and has 13 points already. Alabama leads 34-29.

— Jarin Stevenson back into the game after the wrist injury. He has it taped up now. He blocks a layup almost immediately.

— 5:05: Some Alabama mistakes while Robert Morris makes shots is letting the Colonials back into this game. Alabama now leads 32-29. Tide has turned the ball over five times. Robert Morris only has one turnover.

— Cliff Omoruyi and Mo Dioubate both have scored in double figures, and there’s still 6:14 left in the first half. It’s much needed for Alabama considering the guards aren’t doing much to score right now.

–7:39 timeout: Alabama leads 28-18.

— 8:35: Omoruyi is thriving on offense. He’s got nine points after another layup. Tide up 28-18.

–9:09: Back to a 10-point lead for Alabama after a layup from Omoruyi. 26-16 Alabama.

–9:25: Mo Dioubate hits another 3 in the first half. Alabama takes a 24-16 lead.

— Jarin Stevenson is down on the court. He was blocked on a layup attempt. Looks like a wrist issue. The trainer Clarke Holter just walked out onto the court to see him. Stevenson is going to the locker room with Holter.

–11:33: Perfect response from Aden Holloway. He hits a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession. Alabama lead then grows to 19-11 after a jumper from Reid.

— 12:40: Prather knocks down a 3-pointer to bring Robert Morris within 14-11.

–13:50: Reid dunks, and Alabama’s on a 7-0 run over 1:22. Tide leads 14-4. That dunk marks Derrion Reid’s first points since he scored 4 vs. Auburn on Feb. 15.

— 14:49: Back-to-back buckets from Mo Dioubate on two possessions. He scores five, including a 3-pointer. 12-4 lead for Alabama.

— Derrion Reid is in the game early. Good sign for more usage from him in the NCAA Tournament.

— Out of the timeout, Mark Sears hits a jumper. 7-2 Alabama.

— Points per possession at first timeout: Alabama: .833; Robert Morris: .333

— 15:54, timeout: Robert Morris having trouble settling into the game. The Colonials have started 1-for-8 from the field. But the Crimson Tide hasn’t been able to take advantage. Alabama leads 5-2.

— 17:45: Alabama takes a 4-0 lead with a bucket from Chris Youngblood.

— Alabama draws first blood as Clifford Omoruyi dunks on the first possession of the game.

Alabama basketball injury news

Grant Nelson will be available for the game against Robert Morris, Alabama announced via its NIL collective Friday morning, after he sustained a left knee injury against Florida in the SEC Tournament this past Saturday. How much Nelson plays, if at all, remains to be seen. The Crimson Tide might not need him against Robert Morris and allowing him to rest up could be beneficial.

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.