Final 4: UConn overcomes Alabama in the last minute to get to the national championship game against Purdue
The Huskies want to become the first group since Florida in 2006 and 2007 to win consecutive championships.
In the latter stages of their Final Four game on Saturday, the Huskies overcame a formidable Alabama squad to defeat the Crimson Tide 86-72. This victory secured a rematch with Purdue for the national championship on Monday.
Unlike Illinois in the Elite Eight, UConn did not destroy the Tide after halftime, behind by four at the break. Instead, before Alabama’s 3-point shooting regressed to the mean, UConn withstood several pushes by the Crimson Tide at the beginning of the second half.
Cam Spencer’s free-throw line jumper with 4:36 remaining gave the Huskies their first double-digit lead of the contest, 73-63. After a minute, Alex Karaban struck the game-ending 3-pointer to give UConn an 11-point edge.
Donovan Clingan played as an eraser on the defensive end with a block and the game-winning basket on the offensive end after Mark Sears of Alabama cut the margin to eight once more with a 3-pointer of his own.
Spencer, Karaban, and Clingan all had huge plays during Stephon Castle’s four-foul stint on the sidelines. Although the freshman led the Huskies in scoring on Saturday night, he was benched in the final minutes of the game while his more experienced colleagues played crucial roles. He also picked up three fouls in the second half of the game.
Castle finished with twenty-one points, Clingan with eighteen, and Spencer and Karaban with fourteen. In addition, Clingan finished with four blocks, and Spencer and Karaban both grabbed eight rebounds.
(Final Four: UConn) Alabama’s second half cools off
Alabama led by four points at the half after shooting an impressive 8 of 11 from outside the arc in the first half. Alabama presented UConn with its toughest test of the NCAA tournament, and its shooting performance in the first half was just untenable.
As an example, in the second half, Alabama’s three-pointers that were virtually routine in the first half were nearly impossible. Alabama ended the game 11 of 23 from behind the 3-point line, going just 3 of 12 in the last 20 minutes.
But Alabama pushed UConn until it ran out of gas, even with the chilly shooting in the second half. Twice in the first few minutes following halftime, the Huskies attempted to steal the victory. Alabama answered each time with a 7-0 run of their own, tying the score at 56-56.
But the Tide never really got ahead. It also quickly ran out of answers. With 12:41 remaining in the game, UConn outscored Alabama 9-2, and the Crimson Tide never drew closer than six points again the rest of the way.
Grant Nelson ended with 19 points and 15 rebounds, while Sears finished with a game-high 24 points. The highlight of the evening came from Nelson when he virtually put it down over UConn’s big man, going straight after Clingan.
(Final Four: UConn) A titans matchup for this season
In the men’s NCAA tournament, UConn hopes to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since Florida in 2006 and 2007.
In the other semifinal, Purdue defeated NC State before UConn defeated Alabama. As the stage is set for what could be an incredible title game, the Boilermakers and Huskies have been the two greatest teams in college basketball throughout the season.
Zach Edey of Purdue is the only big player who has performed better in the NCAA tournament than Clingan. With at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in his sixth consecutive tournament game against NC State, the AP National Player of the Year once again proved to be a formidable opponent. He’s going to be facing the finest defender of the season in Clingan. Observing the match between those two will be exciting.
On the perimeter, both teams appear to be equally balanced. Based on advanced measures from KenPom.com, the Huskies have the best offensive in the country; Purdue is just third. Additionally, both clubs are ranked in the top 12 defensively by KenPom.
Purdue, which lost to a No. 16 seed in the previous season, is aiming to join Virginia with a national championship as UConn attempts to win back-to-back titles. In 2018, the Cavaliers lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament, making history. However, they quickly won the championship in 2019. When Purdue lost to Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the previous season, it became the second-ranked team to drop out.
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