On Saturday, the Sweet 16 continued on the women’s side with Iowa delivering an emphatic blowout of No. 5 seed Colorado, setting up a rematch of last year’s national championship against LSU. JuJu Watkins lifted the Trojans to the Elite Eight, and Paige Bueckers led UConn to a win over Duke. On the men’s side, top-seeded UConn defeated No. 3 Illinois, while Alabama outlasted Clemson for its first Final Four appearance in program history. The results from Saturday included wins for LSU, Iowa, USC, UConn, UConn, and Alabama.
Alabama was lethal from beyond the arc in their win against Clemson, finishing 16 of 36 (44.4%) from 3-point distance after a slow start. The Tide were led by Mark Sears, who scored 23 points with seven made threes. With the win, Alabama advanced to their first Final Four in program history where they will face top-seeded UConn, who also secured a spot in the Final Four with a dominant 77-52 win over Illinois in the East regional final.
Alabama secured their spot in the Final Four with an 89-82 win over Clemson, following back-to-back wins over ACC teams. The Tide prevailed over No. 1 seed North Carolina in the Sweet 16 before defeating Clemson in the Elite Eight. Alabama was up by 7 points with less than 17 seconds left, sensing the program’s first Final Four appearance. The Tide’s success was also fueled by their 15 made threes, the most Clemson allowed all season.
In the women’s tournament, Iowa’s victory set up a rematch of last year’s national championship against LSU. UConn’s Paige Bueckers led her team to victory over Duke, advancing them to the Elite Eight. The Men’s side saw UConn and Alabama secure their spots in the Final Four with impressive wins on Saturday. UConn defeated Illinois with a 30-0 run, while Alabama edged out Clemson in a high-scoring matchup.
Despite a tough day shooting from the field, JuJu Watkins led USC to the Elite Eight, while Caitlin Clark and Iowa delivered a dominant performance over Colorado. On the men’s side, top-seeded UConn and Alabama punched their tickets to the Final Four with convincing wins over Illinois and Clemson, respectively. The Sweet 16 results included victories for LSU, Iowa, USC, UConn, UConn, and Alabama, setting the stage for exciting matchups in the upcoming rounds of the tournament.
