2018 (C) University of Alabama Athletics
On Saturday afternoon, the Alabama Crimson Tide was entering match play after some up-and-down, though generally steady, play in its three rounds of stroke play. The team hovered from fifth-to-sixth-to-fourth place in the three prior rounds, before eventually finishing fourth to advance to a dramatic weekend stage.
That one-and-one format was just what the doctor ordered. First, Alabama clawed its way back from behind to take down the No. 4 (and 3-seed) Vanderbilt Commodores, 3-2. And then the entire roster got hot: The next round, Alabama again found itself trailing early, but rebounded and handily dispatched the 5-seed Florida Gators, to set up an Iron Bowl reprise against the No.