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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —

March Madness is coming to Birmingham.

The Magic City will host the first and second round of the NCAA Tournament for Division 1 men’s basketball March 16 and 18 at Legacy Arena. Both Alabama and Auburn will play games in Birmingham.

We will update this story Sunday as soon as those teams are decided.

Tickets are now on sale. And now might be the cheapest time to buy, as prices are likely to go up as teams are announced.

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At 103, Sister Jean publishes memoir of faith and basketball

This will be the first time since 2008 that the NCAA tournament came to Birmingham.

"And we weren't going to be able to do another one without investing in the building,"

Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex executive director Tad Snider said. "And to be awarded those days in '23 and then '25 also before the work even started, just shows the belief in what Birmingham is as a market."

The area around the BJCC and Legacy Arena has been crawling with high school basketball fans in recent days as teams from all over Alabama gather for the state tournament. College basketball fans will soon flood the area.

"There are so many cool places to eat and stay," basketball fan Stephanie Ratliff said. "Just a lot of excursions that you can do while you're here. It really put Birmingham on the map."

The city's exposure is only expected to grow as more events are scheduled at the BJCC and Legacy Arena.

"It definitely is," Birmingham resident Kamoka Paradise said. "It definitely is. The economic boost for the city and for all of us Alabama fans."

The executive director of the BJCC does say one thing crews are dealing with right now is damage to a portion of the seating in Legacy Arena from a recent Monster Truck event.

"One of the trucks ran into the retractable seating," Snider said. "But we're working with a company based here in Birmingham. They're going to rebuild that section of the stands. We'll be good to go for basketball."

Birmingham gears up for March Madness

Alabama will be watching Sunday night when “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and its co-director Daniel Scheinert and editor Paul Rogers (both Birmingham natives) go for the gold during the 95th Annual Academy Awards.

Scheinert recently threw a shoutout to his hometown Sidewalk Film Festival at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, where the film swept every category in which it was nominated and won the most awards for a single film in the 38-year history of the show. As they took the stage, the Daniels made sure to thank those who inspired them early in their artistic journeys.

After his filmmaking partner Daniel Kwan shouted out out a few names, Scheinert interjected with a mention of his hometown fest: “Everyone at the Sundance Labs, the folks at the Spirit Awards, the folks at the Sidewalk Film Festival who believed in me.”

So what did Sidewalk think about their big shoutout?

“My phone exploded with text messages, Facebook messages, ‘Oh my gosh, are you watching this?’” Sidewalk executive director Chloe Cook told AL.com. “My personal reaction was I feel like Daniel’s acknowledgement of Sidewalk in that setting, along with lots of other individuals and organizations that he had longstanding relationships with, I think it’s really indicative of who he is as a person.”

Cook said while she does not know Scheinert as well personally, the few occasions she has met him have made for memorable and positive experiences.

“My encounters with him over the 15 or so years that I’ve been at Sidewalk have always led me to believe that he’s really just quite genuine and very full of heart and very aware of the fact that he’s from Alabama,” she said. “And that his path is not one that’s been walked by many other Alabamians. I feel like all those things sort of added together. I wasn’t surprised that he acknowledged the relationship with Sidewalk. I was thrilled by it, but I wasn’t surprised because I feel like it’s in line with who he is as a person.”

The moment was especially gratifying for the nonprofit that works to cultivate artists in Birmingham and Alabama through Scramble competitions, workshops, panels and the festival itself. Film fans can see Sidewalk’s impact in many places, but to hear an artist on that large a stage reference people at the festival believing in him and his talent clearly meant a lot.

“I think it means a tremendous amount to the organization as a whole,” Cook said, who credited Sidewalk alumni like co-founder Eric Jambor and former programmer Kyle McKinnon, who worked or participated in competitions in which Scheinert participated as an aspiring artist. “I think there are so many people over the course of history at Sidewalk that really felt like Daniel had something special and a very unique perspective and voice, and at the very least encouraged that and created an environment for him as well as others to express that.”

Watch Scheinert’s 2005 Sidewalk Scramble entry “Brax to the Max” below.

One year, for his older brother Brett’s birthday, Scheinert’s parents Ken and Becky gifted tickets to the Sidewalk Film Festival. They chaperoned a group of teenagers, including tagalong Daniel, as the kids became enamored with the experience. He would intern at the festival in high school and participate in Sidewalk Scrambles and other high school competitions. One of the prizes was Avid editing software, which Ken said helped him learn “how to put a movie together.” Becky credited Sidewalk as “a huge influence” on Daniel.

Born in Birmingham, Scheinert attended Oak Mountain Elementary and Middle Schools before going to high school in Shades Valley. His parents, Ken and Becky, now live in Guntersville. His dad said Scheinert got into filmmaking through local competitions and musical theater during high school.

“But the film bug, it was 20 percent just me doing what my brother did, because he and his friends were all making movies for fun, and they had a public access TV show that they only made like two episodes of, but I loved it,” Scheinert told AL.com last year. “And Sidewalk Film Festival just blew my mind when I made a movie in high school with my best friends and it played for an audience and they liked it. I was like, ‘This is incredible.’ So we just started trying to make movies and do all the Sidewalk Scrambles and enter all the competitions. I interned at Sidewalk Film Festival for a while, and it became my favorite thing to do my last three years of high school.”

Scheinert said Sidewalk Film Festival is “still my favorite film festival,” so he attends anytime he can. “I always tell other filmmakers that it’s the right size of a film festival where you can walk to all the theaters, and it’s just one fun weekend. A lot of film festivals are like two weeks, and it’s all spread out.”

Cook emphasized the educational component of Sidewalk’s outreach, noting the annual festival marks culmination of the organization’s work year-round, which allows high school students from across the Birmingham metro area to come together to learn about the filmmaking process.

Various programs engage local filmmakers as short-term mentors as they introduce and focus on different elements of the filmmaking process. The students will create short films that screen at Sidewalk, while some are submitted to other festivals. They stress media literacy for young artists and also offer educational opportunities for adults via workshops, panels and other events.

“People in the local community can learn about it, take that interest in their creativity and do something with it,” Cook said. “I think Daniel as a young student involved with live theater and short films is the epitome of what we want to see. There’s so much value in offering that sort of thing in a community that isn’t known for this industry, making the possibility of it feel real and tangible. That part is one of the more gratifying things that we do for our staff that is so fun to foster that, see where people take it. This is the ultimate version of that.”

The team at Sidewalk will be watching it all unfold this Sunday, as Scheinert and his “Everything Everywhere All at Once” family (including fellow nominee and the film’s editor Paul Rogers, a Birmingham native) hit the red carpet and potentially win multiple Oscars.

Each year, Sidewalk hosts an Oscar party, a free event at the Film Center + Cinema where they screen the live red carpet broadcast along with the award ceremony in their lobby and in the theaters. It kicks off at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, and fans can fill out an Oscar ballot to enter a contest where winner gets a membership to the cinema. They’ll also have drink specials and giveaways. (Learn more here.)

“This year is extra special because we have the hometown connection to the show,” Cook said, comparing Scheinert’s run to “American Idol” winner Ruben Studdard, who often wore jerseys with Birmingham’s area code “205″ on the front, as his hometown rallied around his success. “People in the local community lost their minds. It was a new show, but it was also, ‘Look there’s one of us getting all this positive attention.’

“That’s the vibe for this Sunday’s Oscar broadcast. Our staff, the volunteers, everybody attached to Sidewalk is particularly amped to watch the show and cheer on the hometown team,” Cook said. “We’re really excited.”

Above all, Cook and Sidewalk want to credit Scheinert for his success, seeking no claim to responsibility beyond what they provided as an organization.

“This is his ascent. We’re thrilled. Thrilled is an understatement,” Cook said. “It was incredibly thoughtful and kind for him to acknowledge us in any way.”

Cook was touched by Scheinert coming home a few years ago to direct his film “The Death of Dick Long,” when she said she first met him in person. She said he expressed the importance of bringing the filmmaking process home to showcase talent from the area and the resources that existed here.

“Not everybody is like that,” she said. “There are a lot of people who obtain a level of success and no matter where they’re from ... they like to distance themselves from that place. So it was very touching that that was important to him, and it wasn’t just lip-service.

“That’s the sort of thing that communities need when they want to see a particular industry develop,” Cook said. “It’s not enough to have incentives. You also have to have people who are really dedicated to their craft, who are going to put everything they have into the work and try to attain the level of success the rest of the world values so they can do the things they value. I really feel like he’s a great example of that. He’s not just a guy from here who makes cool things and gets acknowledgement for it. He’s a guy from here who makes cool things and then tries to bring some of that back home, and I think that’s really special. And it’s a credit to him and to his parents for raising him right.”

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A film with Alabama ties sweeps 95th Academy Awards with the most nominations this season with 11 total nominations.

Shelby County native Daniel Scheinert is one of two directors for the film "Everything Everywhere All at Once." Scheinert and Daniel Kwan won seven Oscars including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Director. Fellow Birmingham native Paul Rogers won the Oscar for Best Film Editing for his work on the move.

The film also won awards for Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Actress and Best Picture.

According to the Internet Movie Database, the film's summary is about "a middle-aged Chinese immigrant is swept up into an insane adventure in which she alone can save existence by exploring other universes and connecting with the lives she could have led."

For the Academy Awards, Daniel Scheinert brought his mom, Becky, as his plus one for the 95th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, California while his dad stayed at home in Guntersville Alabama.

I talked to his dad, Ken Scheinert about what he would do if his son won. he said, "probably jump up and scream and run around the house and scare the dogs and then send him a text or two." He added "people might actually know how to spell Scheinert after tonight."

The film has dozens of awards and nominations under its belt including awards from the 2023 Golden Globes, BAFTA Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Ken said, it's important to support his children he said, "I always tell Daniel I want you to be proud of yourself."

Dozens of people were in Birmingham at Sidewalk Film Center and Cinema's Oscar Watch Party.

Kaitlyn Thomas doesn't know Scheinert but supports him and his work.

"He's also an alum of the high school that I went too. It's just a really impressive film in the way that it talks about different philosophical ideas a lot of immigrant's concepts" he said.

Some people here said Scheinert is putting Birmingham on the map.

See Also: Alabama, Auburn set to play first round games in BirminghamSee Also: Man found dead inside car in creek off I-65

Corey Craft is the leader programmer with Sidewalk and their annual film festival.

He said, "to me it speaks the exciting future of cinema, the film industry and for that to come from a Birmingham native in part is very exciting."

Everything Everywhere All at Once was released April 8, 2022.

Click here to learn more about the film and watch its trailer.

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AUBURN, Alabama — Bruce Pearl said, between the summer trip to Israel and its road games this season, this Auburn basketball team has traveled upwards of 31,000 miles. Last year’s team, for reference, logged around 11,000 miles, Pearl said.

So opening the NCAA Tournament essentially in its backyard is a nice touch.

The ninth-seeded Tigers received the Birmingham subregion as their site for the first weekend of this year’s tournament, where they’ll open against 8-seed Iowa. Tipoff time, announced a couple hours after the selection show, is set for 5:50 p.m. CST on TNT.

“For our fans and for our students, I think it's just awesome,” Pearl said during a chat with local reporters Sunday evening. “So hopefully we'll get great support and see if we can have a shining moment or two.”

This year’s No. 1 overall seed is Alabama, so the Crimson Tide got its choice of subregion. Obviously, Auburn’s arch rival will start the tournament in Birmingham, too, but that didn’t keep the Tigers from getting sent there.

Pearl said, when looking at some of the potential destinations for his team over the past couple days, Birmingham was a bit better of a possibility than some of the other eight subregions, since Auburn had a good chance of landing in an 8-9 game in the first round.

“Because of the pods and the NCAA trying to keep teams more regional, we had a chance to maybe be there,” Pearl said.

Auburn is 4-0 under Pearl when playing in the Magic City. Most recently, the Tigers beat Saint Louis in the Mike Slive Invitational during nonconference play in 2019. It was Auburn’s second straight season in the event — after it defeated UAB in overtime the previous December — and its third straight year playing at Legacy Arena, after it bested Middle Tennessee State in 2017.

The Tigers also beat UAB in a true road game at Bartow Arena in 2016.

“Part of it was when we were trying to develop our program and take Auburn basketball around the state,” Pearl said. “That was part of our thinking.”

Auburn hasn’t played in Legacy Arena since it underwent a $125 million renovation in 2021.

“Obviously, we've got a new building, a big building in Birmingham to fill,” Pearl said. “They've got a better chance now to fill it, with both Alabama and Auburn being in Birmingham together.”

Auburn is looking to move to 11-1 in NCAA Tournament first-round games in its history. The Midwest Region's 1-seed, Houston, awaits on the other side of Auburn's bracket for a trip to the Sweet Sixteen in Kansas City.

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The UAB Blazers take on the FAU Owls. Our C-USA Championship odds series has our UAB FAU prediction and pick. Find out how to watch UAB FAU.

The college basketball season has been a showcase for one non-traditional basketball school. Florida Atlantic has captured the attention of basketball fans and analysts everywhere. The Owls have won 30 games and lost only three. Even if they lose this game, they are certain to be in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Did anyone have that on his or her list of projections before the start of the regular season? Florida Atlantic is not an annual force in college basketball. It does not regularly make the NCAA Tournament. It doesn’t have any sort of rich basketball legacy, tradition or heritage. This school has lived in obscurity in terms of basketball. It didn’t even have a Division I college football program 35 years ago. The school became a Division I program in 1993. The program has one NCAA Tournament appearance, in 2002, and zero NCAA Tournament victories. Yet, the Owls are in line for a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament, maybe No. 9, depending on the outcome of this game.

Florida Atlantic will be supported by all bubble teams in this game against UAB. If FAU wins, UAB does not make the field. If FAU loses, however, UAB gets in and shrinks the bubble by one spot. The various teams near the bubble cut line will know their odds just dropped slightly. FAU winning this game keeps that extra bubble spot open for another team. All eyes will be on this game.

Here are the UAB-FAU C-USA Championship odds, courtesy of FanDuel:

C-USA Championship Odds: UAB-FAU Odds

UAB Blazers: -1.5 (-112)

FAU Owls: +1.5 (-108)

Over: 148.5 (-110)

Under: 148.5 (-110)

How To Watch UAB vs. FAU

TV: CBS Sports Network

Stream: CBSSports.com

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET, 5:30 p.m. PT

*Watch UAB-FAU LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*

Why UAB Could Cover The Spread

If there is a team which can win the Conference USA Tournament instead of FAU, we were going to get our answer in Friday’s C-USA Tournament semifinal between third-seeded UAB and second-seeded North Texas. Those two teams were clearly the main challengers to Florida Atlantic all season long. UAB stormed out of the blocks with a 22-2 run and scored a decisive win over North Texas to make this final.

UAB is coached by Andy Kennedy, the former coach at Ole Miss who guided the Rebels to the Round of 32 in the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Kennedy has been around the block, and he has built a solid program at UAB. The Blazers have an established basketball identity and would make a perfectly logical fit in the NCAA Tournament. Lots of people in the college basketball industry felt before the season that UAB, not FAU, would win Conference USA. Now the Blazers — beaten by FAU in the regular season — can strike back and win the one game which counts the most: the game which delivers an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Why FAU Could Cover The Spread

The Owls have been the best team in in Conference USA all season long. They’re 30-3. They handled the pressure of the Conference USA semifinals on Friday, fending off Middle Tennessee. They are battle-tested. They don’t get rattled. They win. They will win game number 31 here.

Final UAB-FAU Prediction & Pick

Trusting Florida Atlantic has been a good idea this season, but UAB has special motivation for the NCAA Tournament. Stay away from this game.

Final UAB-FAU Prediction & Pick: UAB -1.5