LOS ANGELES — Every time Clemson tried to cut down its deficit, Alabama fired up a 3-pointer.
Over and over and in such quick succession that the Crimson Tide’s long-range success started to look like a video game.
Mark Sears made seven 3-pointers, and fourth-seeded Alabama recovered from its early long-distance woes with 16 3s to beat sixth-seeded Clemson 89-82 in the NCAA tournament’s West Region final Saturday night, sending the program to the Final Four for the first time.
The school has been to the women’s Final Four once, 30 years ago, but this was just the second Elite Eight appearance for the men, who first reached the regional semifinals 20 years ago, losing that one to the University of Connecticut — which went on to win it all that season.
“Man, just feeling a lot of emotion,” said Sears, the only Alabama native on the team. “Being from the state of Alabama and to do it with this group of guys, it’s amazing.”
The Tide (25-11) will face UConn in next Saturday’s semifinals in Glendale, Arizona. UConn, the reigning NCAA champion and the No. 1 overall seed of this year’s tourney, secured its Final Four berth a few hours before Alabama, with the Big East’s Huskies (35-3) routing East Region No. 3 seed Illinois of the Big Ten in Boston.
Alabama knocked off the West’s No. 1 seed, North Carolina, on Thursday night to reach the Elite Eight.
Sears’ 3-pointers were one off his career high. He finished with 23 points and was named most outstanding player of the region.
Freshman Jarin Stevenson airballed a couple 3s in the first half, when Alabama missed 12 of its first 13 tries from long range. He ended up making a career-high five 3s and had 19 points off the bench.
“We don’t win this game without him,” Sears said. “Jarin hit 3 after 3 after 3 and kept us in this ballgame. He was huge.”
Added coach Nate Oats: “Jarin grew up tonight.”
The Tide donned red T-shirts with the entirely appropriate slogan “Net Worthy” as they celebrated while a bucket of red-and-white confetti was dumped on them. Oats, in his fifth season with Alabama, walked into the postgame news conference wearing the net around his neck.
The program’s breakthough came a year after a sensational regular season and Southeastern Conference tournament — its second sweep of the league titles in three years — was followed by the Tide getting the overall No. 1 seed for the NCAA tourney, only to lose in the Sweet 16.
Clemson (24-12) was seeking its first Final Four appearance, too, in a matchup of Southern schools better known for football programs with multiple national championships over the years. The Tigers upended second-seeded Arizona in the regional semifinals Thursday to earn their second Elite Eight berth in 44 years.
Joseph Girard III led Clemson with 19 points, and Ian Schieffelin had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Atlantic Coast Conference program. The ACC is still assured of being represented at the Final Four next weekend, though, thanks to Sunday’s South Region final matching third-seeded Duke and 11th-seeded North Carolina State.
The Tide buried the Tigers in an avalanche of 10 3s in the second half to pull away. Sears hit a 3, turned and put his fingers to his lips. After he sank the Tide’s eighth 3 of the half, Sears playfully stuck out his tongue and nodded his head as he ran up the court.
“I live for those moments. This is what March Madness is about,” Sears said. “When you’re a kid, you want to be in these moments. It feels like my dream came true today. My dream definitely came true today.”
AP photo by Ashley Landis / Alabama guard Mark Sears, right, shoots over Clemson’s Chase Hunter during an NCAA tournament Elite Eight game Saturday night in Los Angeles.Clemson had allowed only 14 3-pointers in its first three games of this NCAA tourney.
“They get those 3s up fast, and it seems like they’ll never miss,” Girard said.
The Tide were shooting before the Tigers could get back down the court and set their zone defense.
“There’s not very many teams that play that way,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said.
The Tigers tried desperately to keep up and finished 8-of-26 from 3-point range. While Sears was putting on a show, Girard, who struggled offensively in the regional semifinal, hit back-to-back 3s and PJ Hall added another that left Clemson trailing 68-62.
“They hit big-time shots, and we couldn’t quite get the misses we needed them to make,” Hall said. “Credit to them, man, they went out there and hit them. It was big-time basketball.”
Girard’s 3 cut Clemson’s deficit to 76-73, but Nick Pringle was in the midst of scoring eight points in a row for the Tide, making four of six free throws down the stretch. He finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Sears stepped back left of the key and sank the Tide’s 10th 3 of the half for an 82-75 lead, drawing applause from Alabama alum and seven-time NBA champion Robert “Big Shot Bob” Horry.
“What a basketball game. The shot-making was elite,” Brownell said. “Their second-half performance was outstanding, and for whatever reason we had a hard time guarding them.”
Clemson broke the game open with an early 16-4 run, including six straight points by RJ Godfrey, to take a 26-13 lead.
Alabama answered Clemson’s burst with a 22-6 spurt — including 11 in a row — to close the first half leading 35-32.
“We’re big, physical, tough and smart, but we’re not very fast,” Brownell said. “In the second half, that was a problem for us.”
The Tide’s victory provided a measure of redemption for the SEC, which with eight teams in the 68-team field at the start of the tourney had matched the Big Ten for the most representatives for any conference this year. The SEC proceeded to go 3-5 in the first round, and only Midwest Region No. 2 seed Tennessee joined Alabama in advancing to the second week.
Tennessee beat third-seeded Creighton of the Big East in the Sweet 16 on Friday night in Detroit to secure the second Elite Eight berth in program history, and the Volunteers will shoot for their first Final Four when they face top-seeded Purdue of the Big Ten on Sunday.