Jay Williams: Alabama basketball will make Final Four months after Nick Saban retirement
Alabama is headed to the Elite Eight for the second time in program history after upsetting 1-seed North Carolina in the Sweet 16 on Thursday.
The basketball program’s success under Nate Oats has the Crimson Tide one win away from the program’s first-ever Final Four berth. After defeating the Tar Heels, ESPN College GameDay co-host Jay Williams made an interesting note about the football and basketball program.
“It’s funny, one has nothing to do with the other, (but) Nick Saban leaves Alabama, retires. Now, Alabama basketball will get to the Final Four. I’m gonna have them in the Final Four,” Williams said during an appearance on Get Up.
Could Saban’s retirement lead way to basketball being the leading brand in Tuscaloosa? That might be hard to convince some of, but bringing home a title to T-Town would go a long way in changing their minds.
However, their unlikely matchup against the Clemson Tigers — a bitter rival in football — in the Elite Eight stands between Alabama and its championship aspirations. Williams believes the Tigers are a tough matchup.
“Clemson’s a really good basketball team, Chase Hunter‘s playing his tail off,” Williams continued. “But it’s the way Mark Sears, it’s the way these guys are knocking down shots, and it’s the way they’re defending.
“This is a different team. This team almost had a chance to beat Arizona earlier in the year when I think they shot like 2-of-38 from the three-point line. They almost won that game. So, when they’re knocking down shots and they’re playing defense, dangerous team.”
Alabama has played just as dangerous this tournament. Winning its first two games by double digits, which includes hanging 109 on Charleston in the first round, the Crimson Tide rattled off 89 points against UNC to make it to this point in March.
The two teams played each other in the ACC/SEC Challenge way back in November, seeing the Tigers best Alabama 85-77 in an early-season upset. Clemson scored 52 points in the second half — something the Crimson Tide will look to prevent in the Elite Eight.
The opening tip-off between the Crimson Tide and Tigers is scheduled for Saturday night at 8:49 p.m. ET and will air live on TBS. Alabama is a 3.5-point betting favorite, per FanDuel Sportsbook.