"It's crazy the non-conference champion is the only team left": Alabama guard Rylan Griffen surprised by Auburn's early exit following upset vs Yale

Alabama Crimson Tide took on Charleston Cougars and won 109-96 on Friday in the first round of March Madness. After the win, guard Rylan Griffen spoke to the media about his team and their presence as the only non-conference champion to advance further into the NCAA Tournament.

Additionally, the Crimson Tide are the only team from the state of Alabama to still remain as both Auburn and UAB exited in the first round.

"Auburn…SEC Champions, they had a great season, UAB won their Conference Championship, Samford won their Conference Championship… It’s kinda crazy that the non-conference champion is the only team left," Griffen said.

SEC tournament champions and 4th-seeded Auburn Tigers lost 78-76 to Yale on Friday, exiting early for the third straight time. This comes at a time when the SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey claimed that automatic qualifiers must be done away with. He believed the pressure would rise since there were 'more competitive basketball leagues' at the top end.

Alabama tips off March Madness on a winning note

After an initial tussle for the lead, the Crimson Tide dominated the game mid-way in the first half. It started off as a seven-point lead and at one point in the second half was widened to a 31-point difference (64-95).

Mark Sears led Alabama with 30 points while Latrell Wrightsell Jr. added 17 points. The Crimson Tide made 36-of-60 shots including 13-of-23 from the 3-point line. The team came into the game after a rough end to their regular season with 2-4 in the last six games, followed by an early exit from the SEC Tournament.

Coach Nate Oats spoke about his team's performance later:

“To go through a little adversity and still have these guys come together and really play as hard as they did tonight, as hard as they played for each other, as good as they did on the defensive end when we struggled to guard at times, I think that’s the most fulfilling.” (via ESPN)

What could have been a closely contested game turned into a blowout, thanks to Mark Sears. Later, the guard said:

“I just wanted to be aggressive early, get by my guy and make something happen for others or if nobody was in front of me have a layup.”

Up Next, Alabama will take on Grand Canyon in the second round on Sunday. As a team that is similar in athleticism to the Crimson Tide, the match-up is expected to be fast-paced.