Men's Basketball

Alabama coach Nate Oats has deep connections to the man he will be coaching against in the Final Four. Oats and UConn's Dan Hurley have known each other for more than a decade, going back to the days when Oats was a high school coach in the Detroit area.

It feels like UConn vs. the field in the men's Final Four, and the advanced stats show the defending champions have no glaring weaknesses. Alabama plays the Huskies on Saturday.

Nate Oats admits it: He whiffed on Mark Sears out of high school.It's OK, though. So did every other major college coach.It is why Alabama's undersized, high-scoring point guard wound up at Ohio University before finally getting a chance to return to his home state.

Alabama needed more bodies. Connecticut and Purdue needed the right fit. North Carolina State had big holes to fill in the backcourt. They all mined the transfer portal effectively enough that those pieces are key reasons that they've reached the Final Four, headed to the desert with a chance to hoist a trophy.

Alabama in the “Final Four?” Never been. Awaiting them in the Valley of the Sun is a pack of angry pack of UConn Huskies. Dominating on its way to a fifth national championship a year ago, UConn has looked even more unbeatable so far in its run to become the first repeat champion since Florida 2006-07.

Nate Oats has Nick Saban on speed dial. Yet the Alabama men's basketball coach knew he needed as much input as possible as his team was reeling heading into the NCAA Tournament. The result? The Crimson Tide are making their first appearance in the Final Four.

Clemson reached its second-ever Elite Eight in college men’s basketball with a staunch defense that took away opponents' perimeter game. On Saturday night, the Tigers couldn't get the stops they needed. Alabama advances to the “Final Four” for the first time ever. Tide fans may be more used to playing Clemson in college football, including Alabama’s bruising loss to the Tigers, 44-16, for the national football title in San Jose in 2019.

During Head Coach Nick Saban’s time at Alabama, the Clemson Tigers were the “boogeymen” of college football. The Tigers beat the Tide for the college football championship, including games in Tampa and San Jose, which Alabama Public Radio covered nationally for NPR. Now, the two Universities are vying for a slot in the “Final Four.”

It's happened only one other time in the history of Crimson Tide men's basketball, and it happened last night against North Carolina.

The Crimson Tide’s Mark Sears carried Alabama long enough for the Crimson Tide to get an unexpected contribution and reach the Sweet Sixteen.