Alabama redefined short bench on Saturday night in New York.
A huge brawl between the No. 25 Crimson Tide and No. 14 Minnesota led to Alabama playing with just five players for the remainder of the game
With 13 minutes remaining in the contest, the entire bench was ejected for leaving the sideline during a skirmish on the court. Minnesota's Nate Mason was also ejected as things got heated at the Barclays Center. Coach Avery Johnson and his point guard Collin Sexton received technicals from the brawl as well.
Brawl at Barclays. Wow. pic.twitter.com/PbKjqfJtox
— Robbie Rosenhaus (@robbierosenhaus) November 25, 2017
So pretty crazy, right? No bench for Bama? It turns out, it would only get significantly worse from there. In the minutes that followed, Alabama had one player foul out and another exit the game with a sprained ankle, leaving Alabama playing 3-on-5 in a real college basketball game with over 10 minutes left to play.
Attention: Alabama is currently down to only three players pic.twitter.com/EGFysMx386
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) November 25, 2017
Despite being significantly shorthanded, Alabama would crawl back into the game before falling 89-84. Collin Sexton scored 40 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the slight disadvantage by playing without a full squad. Minnesota coach Richard Pitino said after the game it was almost like his players were spooked to shoot from 3-point range without the full defense on the court.
How do you coach a basketball team in a 5-on-3 situation?@TheAndyKatz catches up with Richard Pitino after a historic battle. pic.twitter.com/bbE1Rc65fd
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) November 26, 2017