With an 89-82 win over Clemson, the Alabama basketball team made history on Saturday and is heading to its first-ever Final Four.
Clemson got the best of Alabama in Coleman Coliseum in November, but Alabama won in March when it counted.
Alabama found itself down 13 in the first half, but a 22-6 run to end the half helped the Crimson Tide to a three point lead at the half. The two teams traded blows in the second half, but Alabama shooting 10-for-15 from deep was ultimately the difference in the game.
Here are a few takeaways from the game.
Active on the Glass
This season, Alabama’s toughness has been a question mark, but on Saturday, the Crimson Tide showed that they can turn it on when needed. The Tide flexed their muscles on the inside, outrebounding Clemson 44-33. More importantly, Alabama pulled down 16 offensive rebounds that created second-chance opportunities.
Career Night For Stevenson
Thursday night was the Grant Nelson game, but Saturday night it was the Jarin Stevenson game. With Nelson suffering from foul trouble, Stevenson had to step up on the offensive side of the ball. Stevenson started off boom or bust, hitting two of his first four attempts from behind the arc with his misses being air balls. He didn’t let the air balls get to him and kept shooting, finishing with a career-high 19 points and five made three-pointers.
Productive Play From Pringle
Nick Pringle got the start in place of Latrell Wrightsell, Jr. and made the most of it. Pringle put together one of the best games in his career, recording a double-double. Pringle was heavily responsible for the advantage Alabama had on the glass pulling down 11 rebounds with six of those on the offensive glass. Even more impressive was his success at the free throw line for a player that shoots 53.8% from the line. He scored half of his 16 points from the charity stripe, going 8-for-13.
Sears Steps Up in the Second Half
Mark Sears had a quiet first half, only scoring five points. While only hitting one of his seven three-point attempts in the first half, Sears caught fire in the second half. In the final 20 minutes, Sears scored 17 points while hitting six of his seven attempts from behind the three-point line to finish with a game-high 23 points.
Alabama will travel to Phoenix, Ariz., next Saturday to face UConn, the defending NCAA champions and the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament.
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