In the NCAA Elite 8 from the West Region – the Clemson Tigers will take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. The winner of this game will head to the NCAA Final Four in Phoenix. These two teams played on November 28th, with the Clemson Tigers winning the game 85-77.
The Clemson Tigers are 24-11, and one win away from the NCAA Final Four. The Tigers are the sixth seed, and have tournament wins over New Mexico, Baylor and Arizona. The Tigers finished fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season, and fell to Boston College in their first tournament game.
Alabama is coming off a massive upset over the North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday. The Crimson Tide are the fourth seed in the region, and are now 24-11 on the season. Alabama also beat Charleston and Grand Canyon in the big dance.
The Alabama Crimson Tide are -2.5 over the Clemson Tigers. The total is 165.5.
Brad Brownell’s Clemson Tigers
The Tigers used 18 points from Chase Hunter in the win over Arizona. The Tigers led from the start, and despite losing the lead, quickly took it back over and won down the stretch. The Tigers also saw three other guys outside of Hunter score double digits. PJ Hall scored 17 points and ripped down 8 rebounds.
In the win over Baylor, Hunter led the way with 20 points, while Joe Girard added 13. On the season, the Tigers used 18.5 per game from Hall, while Girard was at 15.3 per game. The Tigers have allowed just 64 points per game during the NCAA Tournament.
The Clemson Tigers started the season with nine straight wins. The first loss of the season for Coach Brownell’s team was on December 16th at Memphis. Clemson then lost their first three conference games, and four out of their first five. The Tigers won their final three games of February.
Nate Oats and his Alabama Crimson Tide
The Alabama Crimson Tide are the top scoring team in all of College Basketball. Alabama scored 90.7 points per game during the regular season. During the NCAA Tournament, Alabama is scoring 90 points per game. On defense, they are allowing 81.3 points per game.
In the win over North Carolina, Grant Nelson was fantastic. He scored 24 points and ripped down 12 rebounds in the game. Rylan Griffin and Aaron Estrada added 19 in the game, while Mark Sears came away with 18 points. On the season, Sears is leading the team with 21.5 points per game.
Alabama won their first four games of the season before losing a road game at Ohio State. The non-conference also saw them lose to Clemson, Purdue, Creighton and Arizona.
Alabama Moves to Final Four
Clemson won the first meeting between these two teams, and this time, when it counts the most, Nate Oats and his Crimson Tide are going to come away with the win. The speed and ability to shoot the basketball is what gets the job done. Alabama wins this game 80-75 over Clemson.
We are going to take the Alabama Crimson Tide -2.5 over the Clemson Tigers. We are also looking at the UNDER 165.5. Enjoy the game and good luck!
