Final Four How to Watch: No. 4 Alabama Basketball vs. No. 1 UConn

Everything you need to know about the Crimson Tide's historic matchup with UConn in the Final Four.
Mar 30, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA;  Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats celebrates with the
Mar 30, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats celebrates with the / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

The No. 4-seeded Alabama men's basketball team will make its first Final Four appearance in program history after taking down No. 6-seeded Clemson 89-82 in the Elite Eight to claim the West Region title.

However, the Crimson Tide will play the underdog role in the penultimate round as East Region winner UConn is the No. 1 overall ranked team in college basketball. The Huskies are the defending national champions and have now won a March Madness record 10 straight NCAA Tournament games by double digits after claiming the East title over Illinois 77-52.

Alabama has thrived all season on the offense end as it's averaged a nation-best 90.2 points per game. However, although it's shown flashes at the right time during the NCAA Tournament run, the defense is allowing the seventh-most points per game in the country this season (81.1). Meanwhile, UConn is top-25 in the nation on both sides of the ball.

The Tide is aiming for a historic upset against the Huskies to advance to the National Championship game against either 11-seed South Region winner NC State or 1-seed Midwest Region winner Purdue on Monday, April 8. But before that, here's how to watch Alabama in the Final Four.

How to Watch: No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 UConn

Who: 4-seed Alabama (25-11) vs. 1-seed UConn (35-3)

When: Saturday, April 6, 7:49 p.m. CT

Where: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.

TV: TBS

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-By-Play: Chris Stewart, Analyst: Bryan
Passink). The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.

Series history: UConn leads, 2-0

Last Meeting: UConn gave Alabama its first loss of last season as the then-No. 10 ranked team took down the then-No. 1 ranked team 82-67 in Portland, Ore. on Nov. 25, 2022.

Last Time Out, Alabama: The No.4-seed Crimson Tide outlasted No. 6-seed Clemson 89-82 in the Elite Eight on March 30. All-SEC guard Mark Sears recorded a team-high 23 points on seven three-pointers, while forwards Jarin Stevenson and Nick Pringle combined for 35 points.

Last Time Out, UConn: The No. 1-seed Huskies decimated No.3-seed Illinois 77-52 to claim the East Region title on March 30. After being tied up at 23, UConn turned it into the next gear and went on an unheard-of 30-0 run, which gave them all the momentum needed to close it out. Center Donovan Clingan led UConn with 22 points.

Alabama Leaders:

  • Scoring: Mark Sears (21.5 PPG)
  • Rebounding: Grant Nelson (5.6 RPG)
  • Assists: Aaron Estrada (4.7 APG)

Clemson Leaders:

  • Scoring: G Tristen Newton (15.0 PPG)
  • Rebounding: C Donovan Clingan (7.5 RPG)
  • Assists: G Tristen Newton (6.1 APG)

Published |Modified
Hunter De Siver
HUNTER DE SIVER

Hunter De Siver is a graduate from the University of Alabama, earning a degree in sports media. During his time in Tuscaloosa, Hunter distributed articles covering Alabama football, basketball, and baseball for WVUA 23 TV and discussed these topics on Tide 100.9 FM. Hunter also generated articles highlighting Crimson Tide products in the NFL and NBA for BamaCentral. Since graduation, he's been contributing a plethora of NFL and NBA stories for FanNation and is a staff writer at MizzouCentral, Cowbell Corner and is back at BamaCentral.