After a cold start that put the team in a 13-point hole, Alabama rallied past Clemson 89-82 on Saturday night to advance to the Final Four for the first time.
head coach Nate Oats said earlier this week that he credits legendary, now-retired Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban for his mantra of always looking to the next play, the next game in order to not get caught up in the success or failure of the present.on Saturday night in the Elite Eight, what's"next" for Alabama is now uncharted territory -- its first appearance in the Final Four.
For the better part of the first half, one of the nation's best offenses was stifled, but it wouldn't be for long. Once a couple of 3-pointers started falling for Alabama, the rhythm returned to its attack, and Clemson's 13-point lead evaporated after a 22-6 run gave the Tide a three-point lead at halftime.
It wasn't just Sears who caught fire from deep. After air-balling one of his first 3-point attempts in the first half, forward"He grew up tonight, we don't win this game without him," Sears said of Stevenson."Playing for a coach that gives you the freedom ... he wants you to shoot open shots ... it's something you love being around."
With the Tigers making only eight of their 25 3-point attempts, the math was in the Tide's favor, and over the course of 40 minutes that proved to be the deciding factor in punching Alabama's ticket to the next round. It's not all numbers for Oats, though. He said Saturday night that he keeps an Excel sheet of a practice schedule that also includes a page for inspirational quotes. Most of them, he said, are quotes from Saban that have inspired him long before he became the basketball coach in Tuscaloosa.
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