Clemson vs Alabama Basketball Injury report and prediction, March 30 ahead of NCAA Tournament Elite Eight 2024
Clemson and Alabama lock horns in a 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Elite Eight clash on Saturday night.
The Tigers and Crimson Tide compete for the West Regional title, and the winner will advance to the Final Four. Sixth-seeded Clemson defeated No. 2 seed Arizona 77-72 in the Sweet 16, while fourth-seeded Alabama stunned No. 1 seed North Carolina 89-87.
Tipoff is scheduled at 8:49 pm ET at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
Also Read: WATCH: Clemson HC Brad Brownell and co. celebrate sensational Sweet 16 win over Caleb Love's Arizona
Clemson vs Alabama injuries
Bas Leyte, Clemson
Leyte is out for the season due to a shoulder injury. The 6-foot-10 transfer out of UNC Greensboro has played 20 games and averaged 0.8 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.3 assists.
Alex Hemenway, Clemson
Hemenway is ruled out for the game against Alabama due to a leg injury. The 6-foot-4 senior has played five games for the Tigers and averaged 5.2 ppg, 0.6 rpg and 1.4 apg.
Jake Heidbreder, Clemson
Heidbreder is out for the season after he decided to redshirt the 2023-24 season. The 6-foot-5 guard played two seasons for the Air Force before transferring to Clemson.
Latrell Wrightsell Jr, Alabama
Wrightsell is questionable for Saturday's Elite Eight game against Clemson due to a head injury. The 6-foot-3 guard has averaged 9.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.4 apg and 1.1 spg in 30 games for the Crimson Tide.
Nick Pringle, Alabama
Pringle is questionable due to a heel contusion. He is considered a game-time decision in the Crimson Tide's Elite Eight match against the Tigers on Saturday. The 6-foot-10 junior averages 6.7 points and 5.1 rebounds in 32 games for Alabama.
Davin Cosby Jr, Alabama
Cosby is out indefinitely due to a fractured foot. The 6-foot-5 freshman averaged 3.6 ppg, 0.9 rpg and 0.5 apg in 22 games for the Crimson Tide.
Clemson vs Alabama prediction
It's a classic offense vs defense matchup as Alabama's offense will test Clemson's tough defense that has limited opponents to an average of 64 points in the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers' defense has held New Mexico to 56 points in the first round and neutralized Baylor and Arizona to 64 and 72 markers in the second round and the Sweet 16, respectively.
Six-foot-10 center PJ Hall has led Clemson's offense all season, tallying 18.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg and 1.4 apg.
Joseph Girard III and Chase Hunter back him up with solid contributions that helped the Tigers make the Elite Eight. Girard averages 15.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest while Hunter has 12.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 3.1 apg.
Junior Ian Schieffelin has been the team's top rebounder with 9.4 rpg to go along with his 9.9 ppg and 2.2 apg.
The Crimson Tide, on the other hand, have been rolling in offense with an NCAA Tournament average of 90.0 ppg.
Mark Sears leads Alabama's offense at 21.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.7 steals per contest.
Aaron Estrada, Grant Nelson and Rylan Griffen support Sears' offensive surge with double-figure outputs as well.
Estrada averages 13.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.7 apg and 1.7 spg while Nelson has 11.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.5 assists per game.
Griffin has provided another scoring threat for Alabama, tallying 11.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
Alabama is one of the best offenses in the nation and has staved off North Carolina's challenge in Sweet 16 to secure a meeting with Clemson in the Elite Eight.
On the other hand, the Tigers have used their defense to outclass foes, including higher-ranked Arizona. Clemson needs to neutralize Arizona's scoring to have a good chance of winning the match.
Pick: Alabama Crimson Tide (-3.5, -110)