Men’s March Madness 2024 – Elite Eight tournament takeaways،
Half of the Final Four is set.
Alabama recovered from an early 13-point deficit to defeat Clemson. The Crimson Tide will appear in their first Final Four in program history.
Nate Oats' team will face No. 1 seed UConn in a national semifinal. The Huskies easily advanced against Illinois to reach their second straight Final Four as they attempt to defend their 2023 title.
As for the second half of the field, Sunday will begin with the Midwest Regional final between top-seeded Purdue and No. 2 seed Tennessee. The Elite Eight will conclude with an ACC flavor in the South. Duke will attempt to advance to its 18th Final Four against surprising No. 11 seed NC State.
Here's what we learned from Saturday's games. And that’s how we reseeded the Elite Eight.
Can anyone score on the edge of Donovan Clingan and UConn? Clingan's performance – especially defensively – on Saturday was supernatural, one of the most dominant performances we've seen all season. It became apparent very quickly that Illinois would have trouble scoring in the paint. The Illini missed eight of their first 10 layups, with Clingan blocking three shots in the first half and changing several others. Illinois shot just 25 percent inside the arc. In Clingan's first 17 minutes of play, Illinois scored four points. Maybe the Illini should have opted to shoot more jumpers instead of driving to Clingan so often, but Terrence Shannon Jr. really struggled to make shots and Coleman Hawkins couldn't get out of the perimeter. Here's the stat of the night: Illinois was 0 of 19 on contested field goal attempts by Clingan, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
What the win means for UConn: It will take a freakishly impressive performance to make UConn sweat in a game, let alone beat the Huskies. Illinois played as well as it could defensively during the first half and still lost by 25. UConn is just playing with so much confidence at this point that it's hard to find a way for the Huskies to lose . The signs were there early Saturday: UConn missed its first 10 3s and shot just 3 of 17 from behind the arc, Tristen Newton didn't make a basket, Stephon Castle scored just two points, the Illinois fought with the Huskies on the field. the glass – and once again, UConn still won by 25.
What the loss means for Illinois: Illinois simply ran into a buzzsaw in the second half against UConn, but the Illini potentially established how they wanted to move forward under Brad Underwood. They made changes midway through the season, becoming more of a five-out team with spacing and shooting. That made Illinois the second-best offense in the country heading into Saturday's game. Even though Shannon, Marcus Domask and Quincy Guerrier are ineligible and Hawkins said after the loss that his Illinois career is likely over, it gives Underwood a blueprint for how he wants to attack the gate and the track recruiting to build its list in the future. . — Jeff Borzello
Can Alabama beat UConn? After the Tide knocked off North Carolina and Clemson in Los Angeles, all eyes turn to what they can do to stop the seemingly unstoppable tournament force. The Huskies beat Illinois on Saturday with a 30-0 victory, cementing their status as favorites to win it all for the second year in a row. How will Alabama keep up? If the Tide have shown us anything, it's that they can get hot from beyond the arc and beat anyone with their shooting. Mark Sears will once again be the key for Nate Oats' team as it attempts to pull off a surprise bid, but it will likely be up to the defense — which stifled Clemson in the second half — to be able to hang on for a another elite attack. at UConn. The odds aren't in the Tide's favor, but so far that hasn't stopped them.
What the win means for Alabama: Everyone knows Alabama is and always will be a football school, but the program's first trip to the Final Four will be remembered for a long time. What Oats built in Tuscaloosa has finally come to fruition. Its eighth tournament victory in four years represents more tournament victories than Alabama has had in the last 26 years. And although last season featured a 31-win team that stopped short of reaching an Elite Eight, the lessons and experience gained in 2023 now appear to be paying off.
What the loss means for Clemson: A little more than two months ago, the Tigers had lost three straight conference games, ending a streak where they had lost seven of 12. The idea of making a deep tournament appearance seemed far from realistic. And yet Brad Brownell's team managed to do just that, beating No. 3 seed Baylor and No. 2 seed Arizona. The season ended short of program history, but it was still the first time Clemson had been in the Elite Eight since 1980. That's no small feat. — Paolo Uggetti
