CLEVELAND — Alabama will face a clash of styles in its second-round game of the NCAA Tournament. The No. 2 seed Crimson Tide will face No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s, a team that plays slow and runs a methodical offensive system.

The Gaels rank No. 360 out of 364 Division I teams in adjusted tempo, according to KenPom.com. Saint Mary’s averages 61.6 possessions per 40 minutes. Comparatively, Alabama averages 75, which makes it the fastest-running team in the country.

“We can’t get frustrated with their slow pace,” Alabama coach Nate Oats told reporters Saturday. “We may be lucky to get over 70 possessions. We’ve had multiple games this year where it’s been 80 possession games in 40 minutes. They’re probably comfortable playing closer to 60 possessions in a game sometimes. They’re a low-possession team. They’re very methodical, they’re very deliberate, and they’re very good at what they do. What they do, they do really well.”

Oats isn’t planning on making any major defensive adjustments to try and speed the Gaels up in Sunday’s matchup. Saint Mary’s doesn’t run an overly complex offensive style but is disciplined in creating the looks it wants. Oats don’t want to gamble by pressing or running traps just to set the tempo, only to give up easy layups and high-percentage shots.

The key instead for Alabama is not getting frustrated by the Gaels’ style and imposing its own on offense by forcing difficult shots and limiting Saint Mary’s to one look at the basket per possession. Alabama nearly lost to a much smaller Robert Morris team after it allowed 16 offensive rebounds. Oats has driven the point home to his players that that cannot be the case again if the Tide wants to have success Sunday.

“If we want to win, that’s like the biggest factor,” forward Mouhamed Dioubate said. “Finishing the possessions out strong, limiting their offensive rebounds. Us also getting offensive rebounds ourselves. A lot of second-chance opportunities. I think that’s going to be the biggest factor tomorrow.”

Discipline has been another major point of emphasis during the shorthanded scout of Saint Mary’s. The Gaels can frustrate their opponents with their methodical offense and elite rebounding, making defensive communication key for Alabama to avoid the lapses it had late in possessions against Robert Morris.

“You’ve got to do a lot of talking because they’re going to get down to late shot clock situations sometimes and you’ve just got to — when their guards are getting back, we’ve got to send our guards to go in and help their bigs,” guard Labaron Philon said. “That’s something Coach Oats has been preaching all day today and last night. Just doing a lot of film and just watching it, rebounding tactics, and see what they like to because they’re a really good offensive rebounding team.”

Alabama’s depth in both the front and backcourt will also be key in establishing the presence it needs in the paint to get rebounds to set the tempo by running in transition. The Tide’s bevy of frontcourt weapons played well on the offensive end against Robert Morris. Grant Nelson being available for all 40 minutes will also be a huge boost to help elevate Alabama’s play on the glass.

“We can get into our depth, and we may need it because they’ve got some frontcourt depth,” Oats said. “They kind of start with… [Paulius] Murauskas, No.23, they start with him, very skilled forward, but they then go big with — their starting center moves to the 4 and they bring in a 7-foot-1 guy. So our frontcourt is going to have to be good, deep because we’re going to have to stay fresh on those guys to be able to rebound with them.”

Oats doesn’t plan to adjust its defensive style to try and scramble Saint Mary’s on Sunday. Alabama has shown it can play its syle against elite slow-paced teams — namely Houston, which ranks No. 359 in adjusted tempo and lost to Alabama in November — and aims to do the same Sunday. The Gaels are going to stick to their game and Alabama’s best counter punch is getting out in transition on offense by being strong on the glass, staying disciplined defensively and scoring efficiently on offense in a game that may not end in the usual high-possession count that Alabama prefers.

“If we can limit them to one tough shot as much as possible and then off the defensive rebound, get out, and we will run,” Oats said. “Everybody in the country knows we run. But we’ve got to make sure that when we run, we get quality shots, too, because this isn’t going to be an 80-possession game. That’s just not how a game with Saint Mary’s is going to work. They’re good. They’re tough. But, shoot, we’re down to the round of 32, and most of the teams left, all the teams left are good.”

On Sunday in Cleveland, OH, two teams are 40 minutes away from playing in the Sweet 16 and two wins away from the Final Four.

But what time will the Alabama Crimson Tide and St. Mary’s Gaels play each other at Rocket Arena? Late Friday night, an official tipoff time was announced for Sunday afternoon at 5:10 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on TNT.

This will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

In first round action, Alabama defeated Robert Morris 90-81 with Mark Sears leading Alabama in scoring with 22 points. St. Mary’s did their part in stopping an all-SEC showdown in the second round with a 59-56 victory over Vanderbilt on Friday afternoon.

The Crimson Tide will be seeing a school that could be considered a second-round mainstay in the NCAA Tournament. the Gaels have reached the second round in five of their last seven tournaments. Last season these two teams could’ve met in the second round as well, but St. Mary’s lost to Grand Canyon in the first round.

This is an opinion column.

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A unique opportunity presented itself on Friday here in Lexington, Ky.

I had the chance to watch Alabama play Robert Morris in the NCAA Tournament while interviewing Auburn’s Chad Baker-Mazara. Throughout the interview, Baker-Mazara fed me updates on the action and even threw in some commentary, too.

Alabama was playing in Cleveland, and Auburn was at Rupp Arena, but anything is possible in this age of technology. Baker-Mazara had the Alabama game streaming on his smartphone during Auburn’s open locker room media session.

It made for some amusing content.

One after another, reporters kept asking Baker-Mazara if he was going to keep his emotions in check against Creighton. That’s a pretty tired angle at this point, though. We all know CBM plays best when he’s a little too excited.

“I try to be myself, but at the same time keep it cool, so I don’t hurt our team,” Baker-Mazara said. “I just try to learn that, and the guys are helping me with that — so just trying to keep my emotions in touch.”

If I were Johni Broome or assistant coach Steven Pearl, then I’d start every game from here on out by slapping Baker-Mazara in the face before tipoff.

Assistant coach Steven Pearl was critical of Baker-Mazara and Broome after Thursday’s 20-point victory against 16-seed Alabama State. So was someone else.

But it’s a new day. The sun shines upon Auburn once again. The Tigers have been the best team in the country all season and they take on No.9-seed Creighton at 6:10 p.m. CT on Saturday. I like the Tigers’ chances.

Bored with everyone’s questions, I kept asking Baker-Mazara for the score to the game streaming on the device in his lap.

Priorities, people.

“Ooh, 63-64, and Mark [Sears] just got blocked,” Baker-Mazara said. “Get that out of here, Mark! Just kidding.”

But not really.

Baker-Mazara was rooting for Alabama to lose. It didn’t happen, thankfully. The Tide pulled away from Robert Morris in the second half and won 90-81.

As a professional journalist, I’m not supposed to be rooting for any particular team in the Big Dance. Well, let’s be completely transparent about something. I am openly rooting for No.2-seed Alabama and No.1-seed Auburn to meet in the national championship.

Baker-Mazara was ejected in Auburn’s most recent game against Alabama. Hopefully he gets another shot at the Tide (but not literally, though, because that elbow on Chris Youngblood was pretty dirty).

Auburn practiced on Friday at Rupp Arena. The Tigers’ pre-practice locker room was open to reporters for 30 minutes. Miles Kelly’s locker was next to Baker-Mazara. They sat side-by-side. Kelly had on fuzzy slippers that looked like the paws of a black panther. “Black Panther” is his favorite movie and his sister gave him the slippers for Christmas. Baker-Mazara had on a stylish Auburn letterman’s jacket on top of an Auburn hooded sweatshirt with Aubie the mascot spinning a basketball on his claw.

It was a good look.

Not a good look … Auburn’s tourney opener against Alabama State. The Tigers were sloppy and coach Bruce Pearl was angry after the game. So was team leader Dylan Cardwell, who challenged his teammates with a passionate speech.

“I felt like we all had to hear that,” Baker-Mazara said. “We got a little lackadaisical yesterday and I feel like we had to hear that to get a little fire in us.”

Yeah, but what about that score to the Bama game?

“Still a one point game,” said Baker-Mazara, with a touch of hope in his voice.

Moments later, the Tide began to turn.

“Ahh,” CBM said, “Alabama just scored. It’s a three-point game, 65-68, with 5:56 left.”

He wanted Alabama to lose, naturally, because Baker-Mazara, as much as he tried, couldn’t hide his dislike for his school’s instate rival.

Baker-Mazara was asked if he prayed for Alabama’s downfall?

After first denying it, CBM admitted he wouldn’t mind if Alabama lost early in the NCAA Tournament.

“I don’t pray on anyone’s downfall,” he said, “but — man, you’re putting me [on the spot] on this one — but I want to see the SEC do good, but it is Bama, so, yeah, I do want them to lose.”

Baker-Mazara laughed and feigned embarrassment. He qualified the statement. His friend, Aden Holloway, plays for Alabama, and Baker-Mazara said, “I want Biz to do good.”

The NCAA Tournament is the greatest sports event every year, and it only seems to get better and better. It’s the one thing the leaders of collegiate athletics couldn’t get wrong even if they tried. Players like Baker-Mazara will always keep us guessing.

Baker-Mazara was kicked out of the first round last season, ejected for a cheap shot against Yale. CBM wants his chance at redemption and I hope he gets it. He’s too good of a player to go home early, and Auburn has the potential to be an all-time team.

What’s CBM’s favorite thing about March Madness?

“How unpredictable it is,” Baker-Mazara said. “You really don’t know who’s going to win. You go based off records and who’s playing the best, and all that, but you really don’t know because anyone can come beat you any day, for real, as long as you bring it.

“You might be good, but you don’t know who on the other team might be hot that day. The basketball gods might be on their side and they come to win.”

The basketball gods are real, and CBM is in luck. They’re not in the business of awarding karma, just tough defense and soft touches at the rim.

BE HEARD

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Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the book “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”