Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The University of Alabama is more than a powerhouse football program.

Nate Oats brought Alabama men’s basketball to the NCAA Tournament for a fourth time in five years.

After handing top-seeded North Carolina an 87-89 loss in the Sweet 16, the Crimson Tide advances to the Elite Eight of March Madness for the first time in 20 years. Alabama made it to the Elite 8 in 2004 under Mark Gottfried with Antione Pettway as its marquee star point guard. The Tide lost to Connecticut, the eventual NCAA Tournament Champion, in the national semifinal round. Alabama football is proud of the accomplishment that Coach Oats and the basketball program made. The Crimson Tide has an opportunity to make its first-ever Final Four appearance if it beats Clemson. Several Alabama football alums reacted with joy on social media in seeing the basketball team take down the Tar Heels on Thursday to advance to the Elite Eight.

The reactions are below.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Welcome to the WNBA: Caitlin Clark sets infamous record in debut
Jalen Brunson leads Knicks to blowout win in Game 5 vs. Pacers
Nikola Jokic torches DPOY to lead Nuggets past Wolves in Game 5
Oilers use late heroics to tie Canucks at two games each
Watch: Astros pitcher ejected after foreign substance check
Kirk Cousins not angry with Falcons because winning is 'hard enough'
Bronny James has surprising comments on potentially teaming up with LeBron
Bills add two-time Super Bowl champ to new-look WR room
Brewers lose team-leading home run hitter to injured list
Sandy Alderson denies involvement in Mets, Billy Eppler IL controversy
Twins reliever shut down for six weeks with patellar tendon tear
Chris Finch throws shade at Nuggets star over Rudy Gobert’s fine
Cardinals head coach warns not to bet against Kyler Murray
Details emerge on Jason Kelce’s role at ESPN
Rangers defenseman wins Mark Messier Leadership Award
Ex-NFL head coach takes over as Arena Football League commish
Yankees young stud takes major step in return from injury
See top groupings for Rounds 1 and 2 at 2024 PGA Championship
Former Bruins winger dead at 75
Super Bowl-winning safety plans to retire after 2024 season

Want more sports news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.