Florida State women's basketball is back in the NCAA Tournament for the 11th consecutive year, earning a No. 9 seed and meeting No. 8 Alabama in Austin, Texas, on Friday at 5:30 p.m.

The Seminoles haven't advanced past the first round since 2019, when they defeated No. 12 Bucknell as a No. 5 seed, 70-67.

The Crimson Tide are seeking their first NCAA Tournament win since 2021.

With the winner likely meeting No. 1 Texas in the second round, here is how the two stack up against each other.

Offensive threats

FSU was without leading scorer Ta'Niya Latson during last year's NCAA Tourney due to injury.

The Seminoles will be heading into the tournament with one of the top scores in the nation this season, along with a strong supporting cast.

Latson, a forward, is averaging 21.3 points to rank 13th nationally. She's aided in the paint by forward Makayla Timpson, averaging 14.1 points and shooting 56% from the field.

Guard O'Mariah Gordon has emerged as the Seminoles' best perimeter shooter, averaging 13.4 points and shooting 38.5% from outside the arc.

Guard Sara Bejedi has chipped in 12.2 points per game.

For the Crimson Tide, guard Sarah Ashlee Barker has led the offensive effort with 17.2 points per game and is shooting a team-high 50% from the field.

Guard Aaliyah Nye is Alabama's go-to shooter on the perimeter, averaging 14 points a game and shooting a team-high 42% from 3-point range.

Guard Loyal McQueen averages 9.6 per game, giving Alabama's starting five a similar look to FSU when it comes to offense.

FSU ranks 19th nationally in scoring offense at 78.6 points per game compared to Alabama's 73.5.

The Crimson Tide has been better on defense, allowing 61.8 points per game compared to FSU's 70.3.

Timpson vs. Cody

One of the biggest factors of the game could be in the paint between FSU's Timpson and Alabama's Essence Cody.

The 6-foot-2 Timpson has paced the Seminoles' inside effort, averaging a double-double per game with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Alabama has started four guards and the 6-foot-4 Cody, the team's best rebounder. She averages 7.9 points and 6.3 rebounds a game.

This should be a great defensive matchup.

Winning the depth game

Depth will be huge as any support off the bench could be key to victory.

However, both teams haven't received much production from off the bench this season.

Alabama is averaging 16 points from the bench and FSU 19.1.

The Seminoles saw strong production from Alexis Tucker off the bench early in the year, but she began to slow entering ACC play. Carla Viegas has had flashes as a strong shooter from 3-point range but hasn't been consistent.

Karly Weathers has been heating up off the bench for the Crimson Tide, finishing with nine points and five rebounds in Alabama's loss to Tennessee in SEC Tournament quarterfinals.

They may need to lean more on Weathers as one of Alabama's starting guards, Jessica Timmons, is out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury sustained in the SEC tournament. She averaged 11.2 points.

How to watch FSU women's basketball vs. Alabama

Who: NCAA Tournament first round - No. 9 Florida State (23-10, 12-6 ACC) vs. No. 8 Alabama (23-9, 10-6 SEC)

When: Friday, 5:30 p.m. at Moody Center, Austin, Tx.

TV: ESPN2

Jack Williams covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com or on X @jackgwilliams. 

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State vs Alabama prediction: March Madness, NCAA women’s pick