Has Alabama made it to the Final Four? Looking at Crimson Tide's journey in the NCAA Tournament
Alabama rolled to their first-ever Final Four in the program's history, beating Clemson, 89-82, in the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on Saturday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
A formidable college football power, Alabama is now two wins away from securing its first national basketball title since competing in the sport in 1912.
This is due to the high-powered offense that ranks first in the nation and the Crimson Tide utilized this scheme to beat Clemson in the Elite Eight.
Mark Sears scored 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the 3-point area to pace Alabama, which moves on to face UConn in the Final Four on Saturday, April 6.
Jarin Stevenson added 19 points off the bench to help Alabama's offense against a tough Clemson squad that previously defeated No. 2 seed Arizona. Crimson Tide forward Nick Pringle contributed 16 while Rylan Griffen and Aaron Estrada combined for 23 points to seal the historic win.
Alabama's March Madness appearances
Per Sporting News, Alabama has made 25 NCAA Tournament appearances and has an all-time record of 28-24. However, this record is quite debatable because they were forced to vacate two wins and one loss in 1987 due to a rule violation.
Before reaching this year's Final Four, Alabama's highest finish was in 2004, when they made it to the Elite Eight. They appeared in 10 Sweet 16s and made it to the second round 17 times.
Also Read: Top 10 Elite Eight games of all time in NCAA Tournament ft. Duke vs. Kentucky (I and II)
Alabama's memorable NCAA Tournament performances
Before this season, Alabama had rarely made it past the Elite Eight due to tough conference competition (as they are part of the "great" Southeastern Conference or the SEC) and inconsistent plays during March Madness.
Let's take a look at the Crimson Tide's most memorable performances in the NCAA Tournament.
#1 2024 Tournament - Reached first-ever Final Four
This is hands down the most memorable season in team history. They defeated No. 1 seed North Carolina in the Sweet 16 and followed it with a masterful performance against Clemson in the Elite Eight to become the West Region's top representatives.
The Crimson Tide's historic run continues as they meet defending champion and East regional winners UConn in the Final Four on April 6.
#2 2004 Tournament - Elite Eight
The 2000s saw Alabama start to emerge as an NCAA Division I basketball power. The Crimson Tide had five consecutive March Madness appearances beginning in 2002 and in 2004, they reached the Elite Eight.
They edged Southern Illinois in the first round, 65-64, then shocked top seed Stanford, 70-67. They beat No. 5 Syracuse in the Sweet 16, 80-71, to secure an Elite Eight meeting with UConn.
Unfortunately, their run stopped there as the Huskies proved too strong for the Crimson Tide, winning 87-71.
#3 2023 Tournament - Sweet 16
Last year's tournament is the motivating factor for this season's run. Alabama secured the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament as they went 29-5.
The Crimson Tide, who also swept the SEC regular season and conference titles, was smooth sailing in the first two rounds, beating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 96-75, and Maryland, 73-61.
However, they ran out of magic in the Sweet 16 as they stumbled into one of the hottest teams that year, San Diego State. They lost, 64-71, and it fueled Alabama's flame to go back strong this season and make history.
The Crimson Tide needs to win two more games to move past the university's storied football program and gain their first-ever national championship in basketball.
Read More: WATCH: Charles Barkley caves into Alabama's ROLL TIDE war cry after Nate Oats' thumping win over Clemson