The NCAA Tournament expanded to the most recent -- or at least recognizable -- format of 64 teams in 1985. The NCAA has decided to sprinkle in a few more teams, but it's basically recognized as a 64-team tournament.
It may come as a surprise to some that Alabama's history in the Big Dance since 1985 is not too shabby for the football crazed university.
[caption id="attachment_625" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Chris Cross will make ya, SAIL SAIL! Uh huh, uh huh. "]
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Before the 9-seed 'Tide tipoff against 8-seed Creighton on Friday, let's throw on our plaid Wimp Sanderson sports coat and take a trip down memory lane. Sit back and relax as we travel through the past 27 years of 'Tourney history. Please enjoy the stylings of Christopher Cross as we SAIL through time.
1985
7-seed
-Sweet Sixteen loss to 3-seed NC State.
-Defeated 10-seed Arizona in the first round and 2-seed VCU in the second.
1986
5-seed
-Sweet Sixteen loss to 1-seed Kentucky
-Defeated 12-seed Xavier in first round and 4-seed Illinois in the second round.
1987
2-seed
-Sweet Sixteen loss to 6-seed Providence (Billy Donovan)
-Defeated 15-seed NC A&T in first round and 7-seed New Orleans in the second round.
1988
Didn't make tourney
1989
6-seed
-Lost to 11-seed South Alabama in first round
1990
7-seed
-Sweet Sixteen loss to 11-seed Loyola Marymount (Hank Gathers died during conference tourney)
-Defeated 10-seed Oklahoma State in first round and 2-seed Arizona in the second round
1991
4-seed
-Sweet Sixteen loss to 1-seed Arkansas
-Defeated 13-seed Murray State in the first round and 5-seed Wake Forest in the second round
1992
5-seed
-Second round loss to 4-seed North Carolina
-Defeated 12-seed Stanford in the first round
1993
Didn't make tourney
1994
9-seed
-Lost in second round to 1-seed Purdue
-Defeated 8-seed Providence in the first round
1995
5-seed
-Lost in second round to 4-seed Oklahoma State
-Defeated 12-seed Pennsylvania in the first round
1996
Didn't make tourney
1997
Didn't make tourney
1998
Didnt' make tourney
1999
Didn't make tourney
2000
Didn't make tourney
[caption id="attachment_639" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Wimp invented, facilitated, and perfected the Bel Biv Devoe squat. BBD!"]
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2001
Didn't make tourney
2002 (SEC Regular Season Champions)
2-seed
-Second round loss to 10-seed Kent State
-Defeated 15-seed Florida Atlantic in first round
2003
10-seed
-First round loss to 7-seed Indiana
2004
8-seed
-Elite 8 loss to 1-seed Connecticut
-Defeated 9-seed Southern Illinois in first round, 1-seed Stanford in second round, and 5-seed Syracuse in Sweet Sixteen.
2005
5-seed
-First round loss to 12-seed Milwaukee-Wisconsin
2006
10-seed
-Second round loss to 2-seed UCLA
-Defeated 7-seed Marquette in first round
Didn't make tourney
Didn't make tourney
2009
Didn't make tourney
Didn't make tourney
2011
2012
9-seed
Plays 8-seed Creighton in the first round
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