Alabama advances to Final Four for first time, rallying from double-digit deficit past Clemson in Elite Eight

Mark Sears hit six 3-pointers in the second half of the No. 4 seed Crimson Tide's win vs. the No. 6 seed Tigers

LOS ANGELES -- No. 4 seed Alabama advanced to its first Final Four in program history with an 89-82 win over No. 6 seed Clemson in Saturday's Elite Eight. The Crimson Tide will face No. 1 overall seed and reigning national champion UConn next Saturday in Glendale, Arizona, with a ticket to the championship game on the line.

The Crimson Tide trailed by as many as 13 points before closing the first half on a 22-6 run. Alabama received a massive spark from freshman big man Jarin Stevenson, who scored a career-high 19 points in an increased role while starting forward Grant Nelson, the hero of the Tide's Sweet 16 win over North Carolina, was plagued with foul trouble.

Alabama All-American guard Mark Sears missed nine of his first 11 attempts but knocked down six 3-pointers after halftime to help his team advance. Sears finished with 23 points, and Nick Pringle added a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Clemson trailed for only 50 seconds in its first three NCAA Tournament games against New Mexico, Baylor, and Arizona. The Tigers trailed for the final 19:14 of the second half after blowing a double-digit lead. They stayed within striking distance late, courtesy of a 7 for 17 shooting performance from 3-point range after halftime. But after entering as the nation's No. 10 free-throw shooting team at 78.7%, the Tigers struggled at the free-throw line (3 for 11 in the second half) and lost some critical rebounding battles down the stretch.

Stevenson steps up

Alabama's freshman star picked the perfect moment to have the best game of his college career as he reached double figures for the first time since a Feb. 3 win over Mississippi State. Stevenson's five 3-pointers were a career-high, and he played valuable minutes down the stretch as Nelson struggled with foul trouble. Stevenson grew up less than 10 minutes from North Carolina's campus but committed to play for Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats. His team defeated the Tar Heels in the Sweet 16, and Stevenson's heroics in the Elite Eight are a big reason why the Crimson Tide are still dancing.

Clemson runs out of gas

Clemson won its first three games of the tournament in near wire-to-wire fashion, and the Tigers began on a tear Saturday as well. They limited Sears to five points in the opening frame. But he proved too difficult to contain late. The 6-foot-1 guard exploded for 18 points — and six 3-pointers — after halftime. Alabama played its style of basketball in the second half by upping the tempo and forcing Clemson to play faster than it had over the course of the season. When the Tigers beat the Crimson Tide 85-77 on Nov. 28, they held Alabama to 11 of 35 shooting from beyond the arc. But Alabama hit 16 of 36 tries from 3-point range in the rematch and improved to 15-1 on the season when hitting 12 or more treys.

Battle of former high school coaches

Alabama's victory sets up a Final Four battle with the Huskies that will be a showdown between former high school coaches. Oats, who is in his fifth season with the Crimson Tide, spent a decade at Romulus High School in metropolitan Detroit after working as an assistant at Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater. He got his Division I break as an assistant at Buffalo in 2013 and was the head coach at Buffalo from 2015-19 before landing the Alabama job in 2019. Hurley also spent a decade in the prep ranks at St. Benedict's in New Jersey before breaking into the college ranks as the head coach at Wagner and Rhode Island. He's now in his sixth season leading the Huskies. Hurley, 51, and Oats, 49, have shared remarkably similar career trajectories, and have emerged as two of the best in their profession. The coaching battle will make for a compelling subplot to their game.

[Mar 30, 2024 at 11:09 pm ET · David Cobb]

Alabama headed to the Final Four

Final: (4) Alabama 89, (6) Clemson 82

Alabama is headed to the Final Four for the first time in program history after outlasting Clemson in a dramatic battle of southern football powers. The Crimson Tide got the game to their preferred pace and hit 16 of 36 shots from beyond the arc to keep the Tigers at arm's length down the stretch. As he did all season, Mark Sears played the role of hero with 23 points on 7 of 14 shooting from 3-point range. All but one of his 3-pointers came in the second half. Nick Pringle also came up huge down the stretch with a series of offensive rebounds and big buckets in the paint. Clemson will be haunted by the fact that it made just 8 of 16 shots from the free-throw line. The Tigers led 26-13, but Alabama's explosive offense eventually founds its way. Jarin Stevenson also came up big off the bench with a career-high 19 points.

Up next for Alabama will be the significant task of facing No. 1 seed UConn on Saturday in Glendale, Arizona with a spot in the national title game on the line. For now, the Crimson Tide will bask in the revelry of a breakthrough moment for a school known more for its prowess on the gridiron.

[Mar 30, 2024 at 10:50 pm ET · David Cobb]

Down to the wire

 (4) Alabama 75, (6) Clemson 67

Alabama is 14-1 when hitting 12 more from 3-point range. The Crimson Tide have hit 15 of 35 tonight and are closing in on the program's first-ever Final Four appearance. Nick Pringle has come up with huge plays on the glass over the last few possessions and has a double-double. Mark Sears is also up to 20 points to lead all scorers. Clemson has done a good job of keeping pace with its own miniature 3-point barrage in the second half. But Clemson's toughness is being challenged by Alabama as a trip to the Final Four hangs in the balance.