Photo by Danny Lines
Imagine this: you’re playing a video game, and your favorite teams are competing. It’s like that, but in real life. Alabama and Clemson, two teams we often see in football, are about to play a super important basketball game. The winner gets to go to a big event called the Final Four in Phoenix. Has Clemson ever made it that far? Hmm.
We’re in for a surprise, folks.
Brad Brownell, the coach of Clemson, has been around for a while. But he’s never led his team to the Final Four. They got close in 2018, reaching the Sweet 16, but stumbled in other years. Now, they’re on the brink of something special. Clemson’s basketball squad has only danced in March Madness 14 times. How far have they really gone in the past?
The 2024 tournament is a repeat of history for Clemson. They’ve reached the Elite Eight just like in 1980, their first-ever tournament. If they beat Alabama, they’ll achieve something even the historically stronger Alabama hasn’t—reaching the Final Four. Neither team has made it that far, ever. Can you believe it?
Sports milestones are a big deal, right? Alabama might be better known for basketball, but it’s still a football-first school, just like Clemson. One hurdle for Clemson has been their tough conference, the ACC. It’s been tougher than the SEC, where Alabama plays.
Whoever wins this clash, they’ve got a mountain to climb against giants like Illinois and UConn. Illinois is chasing its first-ever national title, while UConn, the current champs, wants its sixth since ’99. The competition is fierce.
In the end, we’re guaranteed to see some fresh faces in the Final Four—Alabama, Clemson, Tennessee, or maybe a return for Illinois, North Carolina State, or Purdue. Duke and UConn, with five titles each, are the old guard. Will they add another trophy to their collection?
All I know is either the Crimson Tide or the Tigers will be cutting down the nets for the first time ever.
