UConn Continued Its Dominant NCAA Tournament Run With A Final Four Victory Over Alabama

GLENDALE — The UConn Huskies reached the 2024 Final Four without so much as a challenge in their first four games. UConn blasted through the East Region, headlined by a drubbing of No. 3 seed Illinois, and the Huskies entered Saturday’s game against the Alabama Crimson Tide as a double-digit favorite. In the end, UConn was forced to perform at a high level for most of 40 minutes, but the Huskies did just that, navigating multiple Alabama charges and emerging with a 86-72 win to reach the national title game for the second straight season.

While Alabama technically struck first with a three-pointer from Grant Nelson, UConn set the overall tone. Projected NBA lottery pick Stephon Castle rattled off eight quick points for the Huskies, and fellow projected lottery pick Donovan Clingan rejected two shots in the first two minutes of action.

The Crimson Tide were able to punch back, rattling off a 15-5 run to take the lead after about eight minutes. Alabama was buoyed early by its shooting, including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc to begin the contest.

While Alabama held a 31-30 lead within the final five minutes of the half, UConn flashed a bit of its overall upside with a notable push before halftime. The Huskies led by as many as seven down the stretch of the first half, though a layup from Mark Sears allowed the Crimson Tide to cut the margin to 44-40 at halftime.

Early in the second half, the teams traded 7-0 runs. First, Alabama cut the deficit to one with the help of five quick points from Aaron Estrada. That was followed by a seven-point spurt from UConn, punctuated by a dunk from Castle to force an Alabama timeout.

The biggest highlight of the evening came moments later, when Nelson finished with authority over Clingan in stunning fashion. That play helped to spark a 9-2 run for Alabama to tie the game, with Nelson leading the way on both ends

In on-brand fashion, UConn then ripped off an answer. Alabama had a shot in the air for the lead near the 12-minute mark but, after it didn’t fall, the Huskies enjoyed an 8-0 run to seemingly take control.

Unlike UConn’s previous opponents, Alabama did not stagger and fall down at the first or second sign of the tidal wave. The Crimson Tide kept things manageable, maintaining a deficit of 10 points or fewer until UConn’s Alex Karaban buried a triple with 3:40 to go. While the game certainly wasn’t academic at that point, it was a glancing blow, and the Huskies never relinquished control.

The Crimson Tide gave the Huskies their biggest push of the tournament, though the power of the three-pointer deserted Alabama in the second half. Following a red-hot start that kept Alabama in the game, Nate Oats’ team shot just 3-of-12 from beyond the arc after the break. Given the nature of the opponent in front of them, that outage left an insurmountable task. Standout guard Mark Sears (24 points) and versatile big man Grant Nelson (19 points, 15 rebounds) played quite well for Alabama, but UConn was simply too much.

For the Huskies, Castle had a showcase game on the national stage. He finished with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting, flashing the considerable two-way tools that make him an appetizing prospect at the next level. Clingan was potent with 18 points and four blocked shots, with UConn also bringing its trademark balance behind strong efforts from Karaban, Cam Spencer, Tristen Newton, and backup big man Samson Johnson.

“I think we just stayed true to our identity,” said Karaban, a returning contributor from the title-winning team a year ago. “The coaches preach every day that, if we focus on the defense and the rebounding, everything else can go our way. It really starts on the defensive end with us. Get out in transition. Offensively, we’re so unselfish. We’ll pass up good shots for great shots. We have so much trust in one another.”

UConn used its size and physicality to overwhelm Alabama, little by little, throughout the evening. The Huskies finished with 13 layups or dunks, 12 offensive rebounds, and 18 second-chance points to go along with eight blocked shots on defense. It was a fitting two-way performance from the team favored to win it all for the second straight season, even as the Huskies took the best shot of the Crimson Tide.

“I think the feeling just with the group is it’s body blows, it’s body blows, it’s continue to guard, continue to rebound, execute our offense,” said UConn head coach Dan Hurley. “Eventually, there will be a breaking point opportunity that will present itself, especially in this tournament.”

“Our identity is to be pretty relentless,” Hurley added. “We might not break you for 18 minutes, 25 minutes, but at some point, if what we’re doing at both ends and on the backboard is at a high level, it just becomes hard for the other team to sustain it.”

UConn will now face its most prominent challenger to date when the Huskies meet the No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers for the national title on Monday evening. The stakes couldn’t be higher, with the chance at back-to-back titles for UConn and the opportunity for a full-fledged redemption arc on Purdue’s side. It is the matchup that many salivated over at the started of the tournament, and State Farm Stadium will host a must-see matchup in fewer than 48 hours.