Brandon Miller heated up, and so did Alabama, which averted the destiny of two different prime NCAA Event seeds and brushed apart Maryland 73-51 behind a dominant second half on Saturday evening.The Crimson Tide (31-5) superior to their second Candy 16 prior to now three tournaments and ninth total. Alabama will face fifth-seeded San Diego State within the South Area semifinals in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday.Earlier than the sport even tipped off two prime seeds, Purdue and defending nationwide champion Kansas, had gone down, and No. 1 seed Houston trailed Tide rival Auburn by 10 factors at halftime earlier at Legacy Area earlier than pulling away.Alabama and Miller acquired off to a sluggish begin, however the All-America freshman and prime NBA prospect wound up with 19 factors after going scoreless within the first-round sport. Miller is nursing a groin damage and missed his first 9 photographs of the match.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Brandon Miller #24 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates with teammates in the course of the first half towards the Maryland Terrapins within the second spherical of the NCAA Males’s Basketball Event at Legacy Area on the BJCC on March 18, 2023, in Birmingham, Alabama. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Photographs)Jahvon Quinerly scored 22 factors on the one-year anniversary of his left knee damage early in a second-round loss to Notre Dame, which nonetheless restricted him earlier this season. Quinerly made 4 of 6 3-pointers.Charles Bediako had 10 factors and 10 rebounds. Alabama’s starters hit the bench with a few minutes left to chants of “Candy 16” within the pleasant crowd.Julian Reese had 14 factors for Maryland (22-13) earlier than fouling out. Jahmir Younger scored 12.Alabama, the highest total seed, confronted scant drama, in contrast to the opposite No. 1s. Brandon Miller #24 of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts in the course of the first half towards the Maryland Terrapins within the second spherical of the NCAA Males’s Basketball Event at Legacy Area on the BJCC on March 18, 2023, in Birmingham, Alabama. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Photographs)FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON’S EXPLICIT ABBREVIATION PUTS INTERNET IN FRENZY AFTER MARCH MADNESS UPSET No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson toppled top-seeded Purdue 63-58 on Friday in solely the second such upset. Then No. 8 Arkansas beat the Jayhawks 72-71 earlier Saturday. Houston finally pulled away from Auburn because the Tide waited for his or her alternative.The primary half was extra to Maryland’s liking, aside from the 28-23 deficit, for a group got here in giving up simply 63 factors a sport.BIG PICTUREMaryland: The 2002 nationwide champion Terps didn’t make their fifteenth journey to the Candy 16 in coach Kevin Willard’s first season. Additionally they misplaced to Alabama within the second spherical two years in the past underneath former coach Mark Turgeon. Maryland’s protection was on level sufficient that it stored the lead for a lot of the primary half regardless of a stretch of 9 straight misses. Alabama ahead Brandon Miller (24) is guarded by Maryland guard Jahmir Younger (1) within the first half of a second-round faculty basketball sport within the NCAA Event in Birmingham, Ala., Saturday, March 18, 2023. (AP Picture/Rogelio V. Solis)CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPAlabama: Its depth has been on show to this point. The Tide managed the sport regardless of not getting a lot scoring from starters Mark Sears and Noah Clowney or Nick Pringle, the star of the opening sport towards Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.UP NEXTAlabama faces a San Diego State group making its first Candy 16 look since 2004, which was additionally the 12 months of the Tide’s solely Elite Eight run. The Crimson Tide have by no means reached the Last 4.