Alabama went punch for punch with UConn, but the Huskies ultimately landed the knockout blow on Saturday, downing the Crimson Tide 86-72.
The Crimson Tide entered the Final Four game playing with house money, making the program's first Final Four appearance, and gave the prohibited favorite UConn Huskies their toughest game of the tournament.
Every time UConn went on a run, Alabama answered with a run of its own. Just inside 13 minutes, the Crimson Tide tied it up at 56 apiece, but UConn went on an 8-0 run that Alabama could not recover from.
Here are a few takeaways from the game.
Transition Taken Away
A big key to Alabama’s success is playing fast and scoring in transition. On Saturday, UConn was able to completely take that aspect of the Crimson Tide offense away. Alabama led the tournament in fast break points, and UConn held Alabama to zero fast break points, slowing the tempo of the game to their liking.
Nelson Comes Up Big
Grant Nelson once again came up big for Alabama, delivering another double-double in the NCAA Tournament. Nelson was tasked with guarding one of the nation’s premier big men and did a solid job. Nelson finished the game with 19 points and pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds.
No Help From the Bench
The Alabama starters did their part on the offensive end, but the bench was obsolete. The Crimson Tide received zero help offensively from their bench. The only points scored from the Alabama bench came from Latrell Wrightsell, Jr. and his six points off two three-pointers.
Three-Point Shooting Cools Off in Second Half
Alabama came out firing on all cylinders during the first half from behind the arc. The Crimson Tide shot a blistering 73% in the first half, going 8-for-11. In the second half, Alabama’s shooting cooled off, going just 3-for-12.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
