Tag: Elite Eight

Relive the excitement of Alabama’s Elite Eight win with March Madness photo gallery

Loved watching Alabama basketball defeat Clemson in the Elite Eight? Relive it with the top images from the massive March Madness win.

After defeating the Clemson Tigers in the Elite Eight of March Madness, the Alabama Crimson Tide basketball team is on to the Final Four to face UCONN. Mark Sears, Grant Nelson, Nick Pringle and others have put together an impressive tournament run so far and it’s not over yet.

In the win over Clemson, Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats’s team remained resilient and didn’t let a scoring drought or a strong run from the Tigers slow them down.

Next up for Alabama is a tough UCONN team that has blown just about every opponent out of the water this tournament. Before looking ahead, however, relive the excitement from the Tide’s win over Clemson that sent the program to its first-ever Final Four appearance!

Photo gallery from Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball’s win over the Clemson Tigers in the Elite Eight of March Madness

Alabama Crimson Tide knocks off Clemson to advance to first ever Final Four

Alabama Basketball’s March Madness run lives on and the program advances to first-ever Final Four appearance!

For the first time in program history, the Alabama Crimson Tide are advancing to the Final Four! It was a back-and-forth game for all 40 minutes, but Alabama’s tenacious defense and Clemson’s inability to make a free throw in the second half was the difference in an 89-82 Alabama victory.

[autotag]Mark Sears[/autotag] and [autotag]Jarin Stevenson[/autotag] both stepped up in massive ways for the Tide as they combined to shoot 15-of-22 from three-point land. Sears also hit six of his final seven threes to get Alabama over the hump. However, the biggest difference in the game was Clemson’s inability to knock down their free throws as they shot 8-of-16 on the day.

The path to the title doesn’t get any easier as they will take on the No. 1 overall seeded UCONN Huskies in the Final Four. The Huskies are the defending national champs and just beat Illinois by 25 in the Elite 8. The game will tip off next Saturday with the time still yet to be announced.

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Who is Mark Sears? Meet Alabama’s electric Elite Eight hero

Meet Mark Sears, Alabama’s electric Elite Eight hero.

When Alabama needed a spark in its Elite Eight game against Clemson on Saturday night, it found one in senior guard Mark Sears.

Sears played a huge role in helping Alabama men’s basketball reach its first Final Four in school history after its 89-82 Elite Eight victory over the Tigers.

The Muscle Shoals, Alabama, native played started his career with the Ohio University Bobcats in 2020 and played two seasons there. He then joined the Crimson Tide in 2022 and turned into a key member of its starting lineup.

Why Mark Sears’ mom Lameka mimes shooting free throws with Alabama guard

He’s now one of Alabama’s 2024 March Madness heroes for its first Final Four run. During the team’s Sweet 16 victory over North Carolina, Sears set Alabama’s single-season record for points scored by a player.

While playing Clemson, Sears nailed a staggering seven 3-point shots when his team needed them the most.

One of those came from a mid-court logo in the second half that wowed everyone in attendance for Saturday’s game at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. 

He even hit a massive 3-pointer in the game’s final stretch to help the Crimson Tide inch further away from the Tigers for the victory. He scored 23 points in total during the win.

As the Crimson Tide try to keep this hot streak alive against UConn next weekend, the team will need more stellar play from Sears beyond the arc.

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Dan Hurley shared a heartwarming moment with his son after UConn’s Elite Eight victory

For the Hurleys, March Madness is a family affair.

UConn men’s basketball punched its ticket for the 2024 Final Four on Saturday in a lopsided victory over Illinois in the Elite Eight.

The Huskies are trying to win a second-straight national title under coach Dan Hurley, and making it to the Final Four of the men’s NCAA tournament is just one step closer to the ultimate goal.

Hurley’s son Andrew is a walk-on senior guard for the Huskies, so father and son get to make a second championship push together in this year’s tournament.

After Saturday’s Elite Eight win, the Hurleys shared a really sweet moment with each other on the court as they embraced in a big hug in their celebratory hats.

It’s always neat when somebody gets to play for their dad in any sport, much less one as big as college basketball.

It’s a family affair for the Hurleys, and we’ll see if more celebrating will be in order for this father-son duo as the tournament continues.

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ESPN has NC State above Duke in Elite Eight ranking

ESPN’s Myron Medcalf ranked the eight teams remaining in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, and he had the Wolfpack over the Blue Devils.

There’s always reason to be nervous against the annual Cinderella team. After all, an 11-seed like NC State only reaches the Elite Eight if it’s in better form than its seed suggests.

However, ESPN’s Myron Medcalf thinks it’s more than just that.

The ESPN writer released a ranking of the last eight teams left in the NCAA Tournament field, and the Wolfpack (fourth) finished two spots above the Blue Devils (sixth).

“Anything seems possible at this point for a team that has won eight elimination games in 17 days, including against Duke, North Carolina, Texas Tech and now Marquette.,” Medcalf wrote about the Wolfpack.

“Is NC State a team of destiny? At this point, you have to admit it kind of feels that way.”

Duke also finished behind Clemson, whom Medcalf ranked fifth, to be the lowest of the three ACC teams left on the board. The ESPN writer highlighted Duke’s 41% shooting percentage against Houston and the injury to Cougars All-American Jamal Shead as his reasons for pause.

“It still seems like Duke has another gear it can reach in the final days of the 2023-24 season,” Medcalf added.

Defending national champion Connecticut sat in the top spot, the presumed favorite to cut down the nets, while Purdue sat in second.

Duke, NC State Elite Eight matchup is third intrastate regional final in NCAA Tournament history

Duke’s Elite Eight matchup with NC State is only the third intrastate regional final in NCAA Tournament history.

When the Duke Blue Devils take on the NC State Wolfpack, it will be just the third intrastate regional final in NCAA Tournament history.

Former ESPN researcher Jared Berson shared the statistic on Saturday morning. The other two in-state Elite Eight matchups, according to Berson, happened when Pitt played Villanova in 2009 and Kansas played Kansas State in 1988.

This will be the third time Duke and NC State will play this season (and the third time in the month of March), and this third matchup will be the rubber match.

The Blue Devils rolled past NC State in Raleigh, North Carolina, 79-64 on March 4. NC State then won the rematch in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament, defeating Duke 74-69 on March 14. The win was part of the Wolfpack’s miracle run as they won five games in five days to win the ACC Tournament, clinching their spot in the March Madness field.

Duke blew out Vermont and James Madison before the Blue Devils took down the 1-seed Houston Cougars to get to the Elite Eight. NC State knocked off Texas Tech, Oakland, and 2-seed Marquette Golden Eagles to extend their postseason winning streak to eight games.

The two teams will play for a spot in the Final Four on Sunday night.

Longhorns women’s basketball to play NC State in Elite Eight

With a 69-47 victory over Gonzaga Friday in Sweet 16 action the Texas Longhorns earned the right to play North Carolina State on Sunday.

With a 69-47 victory over the No. 4 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs in women’s basketball Sweet 16 action at the Moda Center on Friday, the No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns earned the right to play No. 3 seed North Carolina State Sunday in Portland.

Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT with ABC broadcasting the game.

The Longhorns are 5-2 all-time against the Wolfpack, but it was NC State that won 84-73 the last time the teams played on Nov. 29, 2019.

It is Texas’ 11th all-time appearance in the Elite Eight as the program looks for its fourth Final Four appearance in its history and its first since 2003. The Longhorns also made the Final Four in 1986-87. It is Texas’ third Elite Eight appearance in four seasons.

The Wolfpack fought past Stanford 77-67 in the Sweet 16 behind a 29-point effort from Aziaha James. Madison Hayes dished out 10 assists while Saniya Rivers registered a 13-point, seven-rebound effort.

Oregon State beats second-seeded Notre Dame to reach Elite Eight, earn date with South Carolina

One Pac-12 team is in the Elite Eight. Oregon State gets a chance to topple No. 1 and unbeaten South Carolina.

The Oregon State Beavers aren’t done in the NCAA Tournament. They are heading to the Elite Eight after beating Notre Dame in the Sweet 16 on Friday in Albany, New York.

Fighting Irish Wire has more:

“With injuries stripping Notre Dame of its depth, it seemed like only a matter of time before that caught up. It didn’t happen during the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, but Albany Regional 1 posed tougher competition and thus increased the likelihood of the issue being exposed. Oregon State was the team to do it, beating the Irish in the Sweet 16, 70-65.

“A game that featured eight ties and 11 lead changes was destined to come down to the end. The Irish (27-7) were in front, 59-57, with less than three minutes to play when Donovyn Hunter hit a 3 to give the Beavers (28-7) the lead for good. One possession later, Lily Hansford made another 3 off an offensive rebound, putting the Beavers up four.”

Oregon State gets to face No. 1 and unbeaten South Carolina on Sunday in the Elite Eight. The Final Four is on the line. The game starts at 1 p.m. Eastern and 10 a.m. Pacific.

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The best photos from Duke’s Sweet 16 victory over No. 1 Houston

Duke advanced to the Elite Eight for the second time in three years with a Friday night win over Houston. Here are the best photos from the upset.

The Blue Devils did it.

Duke is back in the Elite Eight for the second time in three years, and the Blue Devils defeated a higher-ranked team for the first time in three decades to do it.

The Houston Cougars, the top-ranked team in the South region, scored the first eight points of Friday’s Sweet 16 matchup. However, the Blue Devils roared back to take a one-point lead into the halftime break.

Senior captain Jeremy Roach scored 14 points in the second half to lead the Blue Devils to a 54-51 victory in a low-scoring battle.

Here are the best photos from Duke’s historic victory over the Cougars.

Duke beats higher-seeded team for the first time in three decades

The Blue Devils ended a three-decade program streak when they took down No. 1 Houston on Friday night.

Duke did more than book a ticket to the Elite Eight on Friday night.

When the final buzzer sounded and Duke put the finishing touches on a 54-51 victory over No. 1 Houston, it marked the first time that the Blue Devils had defeated a higher-seeded team in the NCAA Tournament since 1994.

The last time the Blue Devils had defeated a higher-ranked team in March Madness, Grant Hill helped Duke past top-ranked Purdue in the Elite Eight.

Granted, Duke had been the higher-ranked team in a lot of its games since. The Blue Devils had only been the lower-ranked team in five tournament games since that win over the Boilermakers. But a trend broken is a trend broken either way.

Duke faces its third double-digit seed of the tournament on Sunday when it faces No. 11 NC State, the same team that upset them in the ACC Tournament.