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Edgar Chaput
Clemson (6) vs. Alabama (4) Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
It will be a number six versus four on Saturday night to determine who makes it out of the West bracket of March Madness 2024. Clemson downed the Arizona Wildcats 77-72 while Alabama stunned North Carolina 89-87. Welcome to the Elite Eight.
As of Friday morning, the Crimson Tide are a -2.5 favourite on the March Madness odds.
Clemson Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
Unlike several games we’ve covered this year in the West bracket, there’s some history between Clemson and Alabama. To that point, the schools met this season back in November as the SEC and ACC squads collided during the regular season. The Tigers took that game 85-77. PJ Hall had a nice game, scoring 21 points and Ian Schieffelin rebounded like mad, tallying 14 boards.
It was the program’s third win in a row over the Crimson Tide. Clemson has vanquished its rivals in five of the six meetings.
Alabama has covered the spread three times in a row, as has Clemson.
Neither school has much experience in the Elite Eight. Clemson is making only its second appearance all time since 1980. As for the Tide, well, this is uncharted territory.
Be careful with the total in this one. It’s presently set at 164.5. When Alabama is involved it’s extremely tempting to take the over, but the reality is that Clemson doesn’t concede many points. Arizona, the side Clemson just eliminated, has a terrific offence (87.1 average, third in the country) but could do no better than 72 in the Sweet Sixteen.
Clemson Tigers (6)
Speaking of Clemson’s sound defence, they put on a masterclass Thursday night versus the Wildcats. Arizona was a number two seed in large part because they could buzzsaw opponents with ferocious scoring ability, but Clemson kept them largely at bay in the 77-72 victory.
What impressed the most was the Tigers’ ability to not give in to negative momentum swings. There were times when it looked as if Arizona might pull back and claim the advantage, but Clemson held strong. The Tigers limited the Wildcats to an appalling 5-for-28 shooting night from the perimeter, resulting in their own 32. 0 per cent being more than enough. The name of the game was efficiency. Clemson went 49.2 per cent on 59 shots while Arizona was 37.3 on 67 attempts. Chase Hunter (18), PJ Hall (17), and Ian Schieffelin (14) all hit for double-digits with those same three grabbing 22 rebounds total.
Alabama Crimson Tide (4)
Beyond the thrill of an upset this late into March Madness, Alabama’s 89-87 win over North Carolina was simply a wonderful contest.
No lead was ever larger than 10 (North Carolina) and Alabama never led by more than five points. Similar to the other Sweet 16 match, the winning side was more efficient where it mattered most. The Crimson Tide took fewer shots than the Tar Heels (67 to 78) but were more accurate (47.8 per cent to 38.5 per cent). Having fewer assists (13 to 17) didn’t matter in this case.
It was not, in fact, Mark Sears who led in scoring, although he had a solid 18-point night. Grant Nelson, who has had a decent if unspectacular tournament, roared to the tune of 24 points and 12 boards, including a critical layup and free throws with less than a minute left in regulation. Both Rylan Griffen and Aaron Estrada had 18 points.
CLEM
ALA