MOBILE, Ala. — Downtown Mobile’s bars and restaurants filled with Crimson Tide fans Saturday afternoon as the Alabama men’s basketball team opened NCAA Tournament play with a 68-55 win over Iona, punching a ticket to the second round.
The victory sent Alabama into a round-two matchup against either UConn or Maryland, and gave local fans plenty to celebrate in the heart of downtown.
A Taste of Normalcy
For many who packed the venues, the afternoon carried an added meaning: it felt like a step back toward normal life. With COVID-19 cases declining across south Alabama and vaccination rates climbing, fans said they were comfortable cheering shoulder-to-shoulder again.
“I feel very, very safe. It feels great coming out,” said fan Roderick Moss, who watched the game with his wife. Coming off Alabama’s January national championship in football, he admitted his expectations had grown: “I’m hoping we can come out and pull through in the NCAA Championship too.”
Fellow fan Tim Corbett liked the momentum. “It’s almost a little surprising, you know, but why not become the best at everything that you can — spread the love and the championships around, and get more of them. Roll Tide,” he said.
Cases Near Pandemic Lows
The festive weekend coincided with encouraging public health numbers. Mobile County had averaged roughly 30 new COVID-19 cases per day over the preceding two weeks and was among 57 Alabama counties rated “low risk.”
“What you see with these numbers are consistently low numbers that are approaching the lowest we’ve had throughout the pandemic, which is incredibly encouraging — so we are going in the right direction,” Dr. Scott Chavers of the Mobile County Health Department said at the department’s regular Friday briefing.