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PAGE 6A October 2023 PAGE 8 April 2024
Alabama Falls In Final Four
The No. 4 seed Alabama men’s basketball team fell to defending national champion and top overall seed UConn, 86-72, in the 2024 NCAA Men’s Final Four on Saturday, April 6, 2024. Mark Sears led three Crimson Tide players in double figures with 24 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists. Grant Nelson had a season best 15 rebounds and 19 points to earn his fourth double-double of the season and second in the NCAA Tournament. Aaron Estrada added 13 points, three rebounds and three assists in the loss. UConn (36-3) was led by Stephon Castle who finished with 21 points. Donovan Clingan scored 18 and Tristen Newton had 12 points and nine assists for the Huskies. “First, just want to thank our guys for getting this school to a Final Four for the first time in school history," said Crimson Tide Head Coach Nate Oats after the game. "We had an unbelievable run. I can't say enough about the leadership of these guys, particularly in the last few weeks." “Unfortunate that it ended tonight, but we played arguably the best team in the country. I mean, UConn is top five in offense and defense. It showed tonight. I thought our guys
Photo By Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger University of Tennessee's Santiago Vescovi (#25) and Dalton Knecht (#3)
Photo Courtesy of Alabama Athletics
Alabama guard Mark Sears (1) dribbles the ball against UConn during 2024 Final Four in Glendale, AZ on Saturday, April 6, 2024. Sears scored 24 points in the Crimson Tide's loss to the Huskies. He finished the season scoring 797 total points. Sears finishes Year with 797 points
did a good job staying in there, not giving up big runs. After we tied it there in the second half, I think they went on an 8-0 run after that, if remember that, it was pretty quick," added Oats. “UConn is great, continued Coach Oats. "Our
guys were really good from this stretch in the NCAA Tournament. We just came up a little short tonight, but we came up short against a great team.” Alabama finished the season with a 25-12 overall record and reached the program’s second-ever Elite
Eight and first Final Four. The 25 wins is tied for seventh-most while the 37 total games are tied for the most in a single season Sears finished the year with 797 points and 26 games of scoring at least 20 points – both season school records.
Tennessee Falls In Elite Eight
field, including 6-of-12 from 3-point range, in his final collegiate game. His showing marked the sixth- highest single-game point total ever by an SEC player in the NCAA Tournament contest and marked just the second time in the last two decades an individual from the league had 37-plus. No other Volunteer scored in double figures, although junior guard Zakai Zeigler totaled nine points and a game-best eight assists, while fifth-year guard Josiah-Jordan James scored eight points on 3-of- 4 shooting, including hitting both his 3-pointers. Purdue senior center Zach Edey led all scorers with a career-high 40 points, the most by a Tennessee opponent in over 15 years. He shot 13-of-21 from the floor and 14-of-22 at the line. His free-throw attempts also set a career high, while his makes put him one off his best tally. He also has a game-best 16 rebounds. Sophomore guard Fletcher Loyer tallied 14 points for the Boilermakers, although Tennessee held him to 4-of-12 shooting, including a 1-of-5 clip from deep. Tennessee finished 11- of-26 (42.3 percent) from 3-point range and limited Purdue to a 3-of-15 (20.0 percent) ledger, as well as totaled a 20-7 cushion in points off turnovers. However, the Boilermakers had a 40-24 advantage in paint points. Both teams shot 63.6 percent at the line, but Tennessee went 7-of-11 and committed 25 fouls leading to a 21-of-33 ledger for Purdue. The Volunteers conclude arguably the finest campaign in program history with 27 victories, tied for their fourth-most ever, along with an SEC regular season title and their second Elite Eight appearance.
The University of Tennessee men's basketball team took an 11-point first-half lead in the Elite Eight matchup with third- ranked, top-seeded Purdue, but came up on the short end of a hard-fought 72-66 decision on Sunday, March 31, 2024. Fifth-year guard Dalton Knecht poured in 37 points, the most ever by a Volunteer in the NCAA Tournament, for sixth-ranked, second- seeded Tennessee (27-9, 14-4 SEC) at Little Caesars Arena, nearly helping his team rally back from an eight-point deficit with under 11 minutes to go. The Volunteers hit five shots in a row early in the first half to build a 17-12 edge with 14:09 on the clock, at which time Knecht already had 10 points. They then went scoreless for 5:35, as Purdue (33-4, 17-3 B1G) tallied seven straight points to go in front by two, but Tennessee countered with back-to-back 3-pointers, taking a 23-19 with 7:52 left before the break. The consecutive long- range shots sparked a 15-2 surge in just 3:23, as Tennessee claimed a game- best 11-point advantage, 32- 21, with 5:11 on the clock. At that time, Tennessee was 7-of-10 from deep— including a perfect 4-of- 4 clip for Knecht, who then owned 16 points and capped the run with back- to-back triples—while the Boilermakers 1-of-7. Purdue answered back with 13 straight points in 3:41, including making four consecutive field goals, to go regain a two-point lead, 34-32, with 1:24 to go in the first half. Their margin remained two, 36-34, at the intermission despite Tennessee holding Purdue to a 1-of-8 (12.5 percent) mark from deep. The Boilermakers scored the first basket of the second half, but Knecht then tallied five points in 24 seconds to put Tennessee
Photo By Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger Mississippi State's Shakeel Moore (#3) attempts a layup as Michigan State's Tyson Walker (#2) defends. The Bulldogs fell to the Spartans 69-51 in the opening round of the 2024 NCAA Men's Tournament. Michigan State suffered a second round 85-69 loss to top seeded North Carolina.
Photo By Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger
Tennessee's Jonas Aidoo dunks the basketball during the Volunteers 83-49 victory over Saint Peters in the opening round of the 2024 Men's NCAA Tournament in Charlotte, NC. Adioo scored 15 points in the game and had 30 overall points in four NCAA tournament games for the Vols this year. Slam Dunk
ahead by one, 39-38, with 19:01 to go. However, the Volunteers then went 5:46 without a field goal, as Purdue notched a 9-2 run to go up 47-41 with 13:54 remaining. Tennessee answered shortly thereafter with five points in 19 seconds to get the margin down to one, 47-46, with 12:57 to play. Purdue tallied the next seven points in 101 seconds to grab its biggest lead, 54-46, with 10:54 remaining, but Tennessee scored the next seven in just 63 ticks, cutting the deficit back to one point, 54-54, with 9:01 to go. After a Purdue basket, Knecht drilled a 3-pointer to level
the score at 56 with 7:06 on the clock, making it a 10-2 push in 2:58. With under five minutes left, the scoreboard showed a 58-58 deadlock, but Purdue used a 10-2 burst in 3:14 to again go ahead by eight, 68-60, with 1:46 to go, as it held Tennessee, which had multiple chances to take the lead, without a field goal for 4:13. The Volunteers twice got the deficit down to five, but pulled no closer, as the Boilermakers held on for the six-point result. Knecht, who became the first Volunteer ever to record six 35-point showings in a single season, shot 14-of-31 from the
Photo By Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger
Tyrese Hunter (#4) attempts a layup for Texas in the opening round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament against Colorado State. Hunter had eight points and five rebounds to lead Texas to a 56-44 victory. The Longhorns advanced to the second round of the tournament with the win, where the program fell to Tennessee 62-58.
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