Alabama beats UNC to advance to Elite Eight for the first time since 2004

Taylor Mitchell
·1 min read

LOS ANGELES (WHNT) — For the first time since 2004 and second time in school history, the Alabama Crimson Tide is moving on to the Elite Eight.

The Crimson Tide beat the North Carolina Tar Heels 89-87 in the Sweet Sixteen and Alabama probably ruined a decent amount of brackets because UNC was the top seed in the West Region.

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Alabama was led by a standout performance from senior forward Grant Nelson; the transfer from North Dakota State finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks. Nelson became the first player with 20+ points and 12+ rebounds against UNC in the NCAA Tournament since Blake Griffin in 2009.

Muscle Shoals native Mark Sears had another solid performance with 18 points.

Sears set a new program record for most points scored in a single season in the Sweet Sixteen showdown with 748 points, surpassing Reggie King who had 747 in one season.

Alabama will now look ahead to their Elite Eight matchup against Clemson; the Tigers beat the Tide in Tuscaloosa during the regular season. The rematch in Los Angeles is set for 7:49 pm central time on Saturday, March 30.

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