End of the road: Clemson’s historic March Madness run over with Elite 8 loss to Alabama

Chapel Fowler
·2 min read

Clemson wouldn’t quit.

But Alabama wouldn’t miss.

One game away from history, the Tigers men’s basketball gave it their best shot in the NCAA Elite Eight. But they found themselves in a 3-point shootout they couldn’t win, left some critical points at the free throw line and ended an unforgettable month earlier than they’d hoped with a 89-82 loss to a sizzling Crimson Tide squad.

No. 4 Alabama advanced to the first Final Four in school history and will play UConn next Saturday in Phoenix, while No. 6 Clemson came up just short of the same feat in its second ever Elite Eight appearance and first in 44 years.

The Tigers led by as many as 13 points but got out-scored and out-shot in the second half with all-conference center PJ Hall on the bench and will leave Los Angeles with some obvious disappointment but their heads held high.

Game recap

After getting Nelson, the hero of Alabama’s Sweet 16 win over UNC, into some early foul trouble, Clemson was able to stretch its first half to a stellar 13 points. After a 3-pointer from Tigers forward Jack Clark, it was 26-13 Clemson with 7:54 to go until halftime.

But Alabama, one of the nation’s best teams in terms of scoring and pace of play, executed one of its signature runs to wipe away that deficit. With some huge plays from freshman reserve Jarin Stevenson, Alabama went on a 20-2 run to take its first lead of the game and ended that half on a 22-6 run overall.

Clemson had trailed for just 50 seconds of a possible 120 minutes entering this one but found itself down 35-32 at halftime (its first time trailing at the break this tournament in four games).

Then Alabama (which averages 11 made 3-pointers a game) went berserk from deep in the second half, at one point hitting 13 of 20 attempts on 3-pointers after starting 1-13 on such shots.

Alabama led by as many as nine in the second half after taking the lead and never lost it, ending an iconic Clemson season in the West Regional championship.