NCAA Tournament: Alabama’s Mark Sears leads Crimson Tide to Final Four
Alabama guard Mark Sears, center, celebrates after a win over Clemson in an Elite 8 college basketball game in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Clemson forward Ian Schieffelin (4) grabs a rebound over Alabama guard Aaron Estrada (55) during the first half of an Elite 8 college basketball game in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Alabama and Clemson players scramble for a loose ball during the first half of an Elite 8 college basketball game in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Clemson forward Ian Schieffelin (4) reaches for a rebound over Alabama guard Aaron Estrada during the first half of an Elite 8 college basketball game in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Clemson head coach Brad Brownell gestures from the bench during the first half of an Elite 8 college basketball game against Alabama in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Clemson guard Chase Hunter (1) shoots over Alabama guard Mark Sears during the first half of an Elite 8 college basketball game in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Alabama forward Grant Nelson celebrates with teammates on the bench during the first half of an Elite 8 college basketball game against Clemson in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Alabama guard Mark Sears (1) celebrates after scoring during the first half of an Elite 8 college basketball game against Clemson in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Alabama guard Mark Sears, right, shoots over Clemson guard Chase Hunter (1) during the first half of an Elite 8 college basketball game in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Clemson guard Joseph Girard III (11) shoots against Alabama during the first half of an Elite 8 college basketball game in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Alabama guard Mark Sears (1) shoots over Clemson forward Jack Clark (5) during the first half of an Elite 8 college basketball game in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Alabama forward Grant Nelson (2) dunks past Clemson forward Ian Schieffelin during the second half of an Elite 8 college basketball game in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Alabama forward Grant Nelson (2) blocks a shot from Clemson center PJ Hall (24) during the second half of an Elite 8 college basketball game in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Clemson center PJ Hall celebrates after a dunk during the second half of an Elite 8 college basketball game against Alabama in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Alabama guard Mark Sears (1) celebrates after scoring during the second half of an Elite 8 college basketball game against Clemson in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Clemson center PJ Hall (24) reacts after scoring against Alabama during the second half of an Elite 8 college basketball game in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Alabama guard Mark Sears (1) dribbles past Clemson forward Jack Clark (5) during the second half of an Elite 8 college basketball game in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Clemson forward Ian Schieffelin, center, grabs a loose ball next to Alabama forward Nick Pringle, left, during the second half of an Elite 8 college basketball game in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Clemson guard Joseph Girard III (11) bites on his jersey in the closing seconds of a loss to Alabama in an Elite 8 college basketball game in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Alabama guard Rylan Griffen, facing camera at left, celebrates with guard Aaron Estrada (55) after a win over Clemson in an Elite 8 college basketball game in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Alabama forward Nick Pringle (23) celebrates after a win over Clemson in an Elite 8 college basketball game in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Alabama players hold the winner’s trophy after a win over Clemson in an Elite 8 college basketball game in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Alabama guard Mark Sears holds the winner’s trophy after defeating Clemson in an Elite 8 college basketball game in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Alabama guard Mark Sears cuts down the net after a win over Clemson in Elite 8 college basketball game in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
LOS ANGELES — With their school’s first visit to the Final Four on the line, fourth-seeded Alabama basketball made 10 3-pointers and shot 68.2% from the field in the second half and overcame sixth-seeded Clemson’s stifling defense to earn the program’s most important win ever, 89-82 in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Senior guard Mark Sears scored 18 of his game-high 23 points in the second half, including a dagger stepback 3-pointer to go up 82-75 with 1:15 remaining to lead Alabama (25-11).
“Just feeling a lot of emotions,” Sears said, an Alabama native from Muscle Shoals, who was named the West Regional’s Most Outstanding Player. “Being from Alabama, the state of Alabama, and to do it with this group of guys, it’s amazing.”
Freshman forward Jarin Stevenson finished with a career-high 19 points, including five 3-pointers.
“It’s mainly just practice,” Stevenson said when asked about what gave him the confidence to keep shooting after airballing a 3-pointer. “I knew just from practice I can knock those shots down.”
The Crimson Tide shot 46.8% (29 of 62), including 44.4 from 3-point range (16 of 36). Sears finished 7 of 14 from beyond the arc.
“We’re not trying to shoot 50 3s, we’re trying to take the most efficient shots we can,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said.
However, the Tigers (24-12) held Alabama to 20% shooting early (5 of 25) and established a 26-13 lead with 7:54 left in the first half.
Clemson’s defense was clinical early in the West Regional. Still, the Crimson Tide, led by Stevenson and sophomore guard Rylan Griffen (combined 4 of 9 from beyond the arc in the first half), worked hard to make enough 3-pointers to retake the lead 29-28 with 2:52 left in the first half.
Alabama shot 33.3% in the first half (13 of 39) but led 35-32 at halftime. Stevenson had a team-high 10 points off the bench in the first half and later made his first two 3-pointers of the second half and helped establish the Crimson Tide’s 55-49 lead with 12:38 remaining. Sears said he will never forget watching the 6-foot-11 freshman step up when he was needed most.
“Mine would be Jarin, he stepped up tonight,” Sears said. “And we don’t win this game without him making those timely 3s. And just seeing him do that and him maturing and growing up, that’s really a memory. And being able to cut down those nets when the confetti came down and that’s for sure another memory.”
However, when the game was truly on the line, Sears drained a momentum-grabbing 3-pointer, sealed with a kiss to the crowd to go up 58-52 with 9:05 to go. The 6-foot-1 senior guard made back-to-back 3-pointers with custom celebrations to go up 71-62 with 5:04 left in the game.
“Even though it’s intense we play the game because we have fun with it,” Sears continued, who is Alabama’s leading scorer. “To be in those moments you dream about it as a kid, and just to have fun with it because you remember, even though it’s a business to go out there, we still gotta have to have fun with it.”
This was the second meeting between Clemson and Alabama this season. The Tigers previously beat the then No. 23-ranked Crimson Tide 85-77 in a nonconference game in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 28.
Alabama and Clemson advanced to the Elite 8 for the second time in school history. The Crimson advanced to the Final Four in the school’s 24th appearance in the NCAA Tournament.