A tusk’s task
How Alabama is approaching No. 1 UConn in Final Four
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Alabama men’s basketball team lost three of its last five regular season games and was bumped from the SEC Tournament after one game.
When the NCAA Tournament began, the Crimson Tide were a No. 4 seed in the West Region. Expectations were not high.
Four wins later, Alabama (25-11) is in the Final Four for the first time in program history. The first Final Four opponent: UConn, the reigning national champion that seems unbeatable.
“Listen, we were an underdog,” coach Nate Oats said. “Nobody expected us to be here . ... We had to sell our guys that we can make the run before the tournament. Now that we made the run, get to the Final Four, I want our guys playing loose and free, but I want them thinking they got a chance to win.”
That was the indeed the theme permeating the Alabama locker room.
The Tide are a 12-point underdog and few give them a chance against the Huskies, who have won four NCAA Tournament games by an average of 27.8 points.
Players praised Donovan Clingan, but each continually pointed out that Alabama faced Zach Edey early in the season. The term “battle tested” was tossed around.
Of course, Purdue’s 7-foot-4 center had 35 points in a 92-86 win in December.
“That’s just a guy we have to keep off the boards, keep a body on him,” senior forward Nick Pringle said of Clingan. “I feel like everything will take care of itself.”
Alabama’s road to the Final Four included wins of No. 13 seed Charleston and No. 12 seed Grand Canyon. The Tide upset No. 1 North Carolina before beating No. 6 Clemson in the Elite Eight.
Guard Mark Sears, a transfer from Ohio, is the leading scorer at 21.5 points per game. North Dakota State transfer Grant Nelson (611) will see a lot of Clingan under the basket.
Nelson is Alabama’s leading rebounder with 5.7 per game. But he had 24 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in the upset win over North Carolina in the Sweet 16.
And he did it against North Carolina’s 6-11 Armando Bacot.
How will he approach Clingan?
“Being physical and attacking the rim,” said Nelson, who’s from the town of Devils Lake, N.D. (population 7,192). “I think using my speed and my athletic abilities to my advantage. I think that’s worked for me.
“So, I mean, I can’t force shots over a shot blocker like Clingan. We know that as a team, we have to try to get into his body, play with patience and make the right read. Whether that’s kicking it out or finishing on the other side of the rim.”
Clingan has averaged 15.8 points and 10.0 rebounds with elite defense in four NCAA wins.
Alabama, ranked 19th in the last AP Top 25 poll, leads the nation in scoring (90.6 points per game). They like to run and shoot 3-pointers.
But they also give up a lot of points — 81.1 points per game, ranking the Tide 356th of 362 teams in the country. Oats has preached defense in the postseason, although Alabama has still allowed more than 81 points per game.
“We realized that in March Madness, every possession counts and we got to play every possession like it’s your last possession,” Sears said. “When we did that, you could tell everybody really bought in and locked in.”
But, Sears and his teammates understand what’s in front of them.
“They’re an elite team one through five,” Sears said. “They really got a big man down there that controls the paint and other teams struggle with him because I feel like people try to challenge him when he’s a really an elite shot blocker.”
Oats and Dan Hurley are close friends who know each other well. Oats has told his players that some teams had success against UConn and the goal is to limit runs by the Huskies.
“If you know me, I’m not going into this game just happy to be here,” Oats said. “UConn is great. Danny has done a great job. As Danny said, they’re bulletproof. Other teams have been up on them, going on runs. The problem is, they go on a huge run as evidenced by the last game, 30-0 (against Illinois). They make these enormous runs.’