Crimson Tide’s 3-point barrage ousts Clemson
UConn’s repeat bid continues after knocking off Illinois
Every time Clemson tried to cut down its deficit, Alabama fired up a 3-pointer. Over and over and in such quick succession that the Crimson Tide looked like a video game.
Mark Sears made seven 3-pointers, and Alabama recovered from its early longdistance woes with 16 3s to beat Clemson 89-82 Saturday night, sending the Tide to the Final Four for the first time.
“Man, just feeling a lot of emotion,” said Sears, the only Alabama native on the team. “Being from the state of Alabama and to do it with this group of guys, it’s amazing.”
The Tide (25-11) will face defending national champion Connecticut in Glendale, Arizona, next Saturday. Alabama knocked off top-seeded North Carolina to reach the Elite Eight.
Sears’ 3-pointers were one off his career high. He finished with 23 points and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament’s West Region.
Freshman Jarin Stevenson airballed a couple of 3s in the first half, when Alabama missed 12 of its first 13 from long range. He ended up making a career-high five 3s and had 19 points off the bench.
“We don’t win this game without him,” Sears said. “Jarin hit 3 after 3 after 3 and kept us in this ballgame. He was huge.”
Tide coach Nate Oats added, “Jarin grew up tonight.”
The Tide donned red T-shirts with the entirely appropriate slogan “Net Worthy” as they celebrated while a bucket of red-andwhite confetti was dumped on them. Oats walked into the postgame news conference wearing the net around his neck.
Clemson (24-12) was seeking its first Final Four appearance, too, in a matchup of schools better known for their national championship football teams.
Joseph Girard III led Clemson with 19 points, and Ian Schieffelin had 18 points and 11 rebounds.
The Tide buried the Tigers in an avalanche of 10 3s in the second half to pull away. Sears hit a 3, turned and put his fingers to his lips. After he sank the Tide’s eighth 3 of the half, Sears playfully stuck out his tongue and nodded his head as he ran up the court.
“I live for those moments. This is what March Madness is about,” Sears said. “When you’re a kid, you want to be in these moments. It feels like my dream came true today.” Connecticut 77, Illinois 52: Defending national champion UConn (35-3) powered its way back into the Final Four behind a 30-0 run led by Donovan Clingan, who finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds in Boston.
It was a March Madness-record 10th straight double-digit victory for the Huskies, who cruised to their fifth national title last year and seem inexorably headed for a sixth. Their NCAA Tournament wins this year have come by 39, 17, 30 and 25 points.
“We’re going to be tough to beat,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “It was a special level of basketball that we were playing.”
Marcus Domask scored 17 points for the third-seeded Illini (29-9). But Illinois, which had the most efficient offense in the country this season, shot 25% (17 of 67) and scored a season-low 52 points.
The big problem was the 7-foot-2 Clingan. The Illini managed just four points in the first half when he was in the game, with the Connecticut native recording nine points, six rebounds and three blocks before the break.
Overall, they were 0 for 19 on shots challenged by Clingan.