"Slam Dunk Analysis: Unveiling the Winning Plays of Alabama Basketball in their Elite Eight Victory Against Clemson"
LOS ANGELES — On Saturday night, Alabama basketball created
history by upsetting Clemson in the Elite Eight and making it to the school's
first-ever Final Four.
Here are my impressions and ideas from an incredible and historic game:
1.
Mark Sears becomes an Alabama, and March, legend.
For Alabama, Mark Sears has already had an incredible
season. He was named first team All-SEC and as high as a second team
All-American. He averaged nearly 20 points per game, the most for any Alabama
player in decades.
However, what Sears accomplished in the Elite Eight against Clemson is
legendary, both in Alabama and NCAA Tournament history.
To be honest, Sears struggled in the first half. It appeared miraculous that
Alabama had a 3-point lead at the half, considering he finished the game with
just five points on two of his eleven attempts.
But at halftime,
something was different. In the second half, Sears came out firing and really
carried the team. Despite the heat of the game, he kept the audience at bay and
kept the team at a distance by answering Clemson bucket after Clemson bucket.
He continued to deliver as the lights brightened and the occasion grew,
including a step back three that increased Alabama's advantage from four points
to seven with roughly 75 seconds remaining in the game.
He scored eighteen points in the first half and twenty-three
points in the game after making his first five 3-pointers in the second half.
Despite getting off to a sluggish start, he persisted with his shooting and
eventually guided Alabama to victory, securing his place as one of the best players
in school history.
The child from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, who returned to play for his home state
team, made history by rising to the greatest platform, will live on in
mythology.
2.
Jarin Stevenson had a breakout performance.
Jarin Stevenson, a rookie forward, has experienced mixed
results in his debut college campaign. Over the summer, he changed his
classification, and depending on whose recruiting agency you use, he came into
the squad as a highly-touted 4- or 5-star recruit. However, it was evident that
he was a raw talent that need development.
His lack of physicality and need for physical growth made him unplayable in
several of Alabama's early-season contests. But as the season progressed, he
became increasingly at ease.
In the previous round, Stevenson's hometown club faced Alabama, so normally,
you'd expect he would have a good game. However, he didn't. He was mediocre,
but he did his part.
However, Alabama needed a strong opponent for Clemson. Not
even Mark Sears was going to go on the attack too soon. The squad needed a
spark early in the game because they were only 1 for 11 from deep. Stevenson
then pulled another one, going back to the same left-hand spot of the court
where he had just airballed a three. It was cash as well.
After beginning the game 1-for-11, those three went on to finish 15-for-25,
opening the floodgates for Alabama from beyond the arc. Stevenson, who went
5-for-8 from beyond the arc for the game, was a major contributor to it.
Stevenson showed everyone what he is capable of when he
ended the game with a career-high 19 points on 7 of 11 shots from the field. In
contrast to the first meeting with Clemson, he looked completely different when
defending the post. He also has the confidence to match Clemson shot for shot
as the Tigers attempted a comeback in the second half.
Typically, 18-year-olds who score 19 in the Elite Eight are not going to prom
on Saturdays in March.
3.
Nate Oats got this program over the hump.
There will be a Final Four for Alabama.
Once, those words appeared incomprehensible. More so than in the ten or so
years before to Nate Oats' arrival, when Alabama was a regular on "First
Four Our" rankings in late February and accustomed to seeing NIT logos on
the Coleman Coliseum floor in early March.
The Sweet 16 curse continued to hang over Oats even when they moved to
Tuscaloosa and began to have extraordinary success, including two SEC regular
season titles, two SEC Tournament championships, and two trips to the Sweet 16
in three years.
Alabama's March success was still limited. The only other
Elite Eight appearance came from an 8-seed squad in 2004. Of all the teams that
made that many second weekend appearances, the Crimson Tide had the worst
record in the Sweet 16, going 1-9.
However, Oats succeeded. With his breakthrough, this programme advanced to the
Final Four. He has elevated Alabama basketball to levels never before imagined
and demonstrated that this programme is capable of doing what so many others
have failed to.
With his recent agreement to a new term, his first five seasons have been an
incredible success, and this may not be the last we see of it.
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