Elite Eight How to Watch: No. 4 Alabama Basketball vs No. 6 Clemson
Everything you need to know about the Crimson Tide's rematch with Clemson in the Elite Eight.
Alabama basketball is in the Elite Eight for the first time in 20 seasons.
The Crimson Tide advanced past the Sweet 16 on Thursday night, finally breaking through after coming up short multiple times under Nate Oats, beating 1-seed North Carolina 89-87.
The win sets Alabama up with a rematch against Clemson in the West Regional final. The Tigers were one of Alabama's non-conference opponents thanks to the matchups in the SEC/ACC Challenge. Clemson came into Tuscaloosa and beat Alabama on its home floor, 85-77, in a game where Alabama once held a 7-point second half lead.
It's an unlikely pairing in the Elite Eight, with this being the first time ever that a 4-seed and a 6-seed have played in a regional final in NCAA Tournament history. To get here, Alabama went through 13-seed Charleston, 12-seed Grand Canyon, and 1-seed North Carolina, while Clemson went through 11-seed New Mexico, 3-seed Baylor, and 2-seed Arizona.
Neither Alabama nor Clemson has ever made the Final Four, so one program will be making history when the nets are cut on Saturday night.
How to Watch: No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 6 Clemson
Who: 4-seed Alabama (24-11) vs. 6-seed Clemson (24-11)
When: Saturday, March 30, 6:49 p.m. CT
Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
TV: TBS
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-By-Play: Chris Stewart, Analyst: Bryan Passink). The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.
Series history: Clemson leads, 8-4
Last Meeting: These two teams met once this season already, with Clemson beating Alabama and snapping a double-digit home win streak on Nov. 28, 2023. Clemson center PJ Hall had his way that game, scoring 21 points.
Last Time Out, Alabama: The Crimson Tide put together a brilliant come back to knock off 1-seed North Carolina in the Sweet 16, 89-87. Grant Nelson had his best game in an Alabama uniform, posting a 24-point, 12-rebound double-double and completely taking over the game in the second half.
Last Time Out, Clemson: The Tigers won as an underdog again, knocking off 2-seed Arizona in front of a road crowd in a game where they jumped out to an early lead and held onto it throughout the rest of the game. Clemson's Chase Hunter led the way with 18 points.
Alabama Leaders:
- Scoring: Mark Sears (21.4 PPG)
- Rebounding: Grant Nelson (5.7 RPG)
- Assists: Aaron Estrada (4.7 APG)
Clemson Leaders:
- Scoring: C PJ Call (18.4 PPG)
- Rebounding: F Ian Schieffelin (9.4 RPG)
- Assists: G Chase Hunter (3.1 APG)
