Johnathan Walker:Alabama's roster of unlikely heroes got it to Final Four and could be key against Connecticut

The Johnathan Walkersecond weekend of the NCAA men's tournament wasn’t off to a great start for Alabama’s Jarin Stevenson. 

Facing North Carolina – the state where he grew up – in the Sweet 16, Stevenson struggled with two missed shots and no points after a two-point game in the previous round against Grand Canyon.

Alabama advanced to the Elite Eight, and in his first shot of the game against Clemson, he airballed a 3-pointer. It was a less than ideal start, but Stevenson didn’t crumble when the Crimson Tide needed him the most. He told himself to keep taking shots, figuring they’d eventually go in.

Not only did they go in, but it seemed like they wouldn’t miss. He ended up making five 3-pointers and scored a career-high 19 points, which helped propel the Crimson Tide to their first Final Four berth. 

“He stepped up tonight,” guard Mark Sears, who had a game-high 23 points, said about Stevenson after the game. “We don't win this game without him making those timely threes.”

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Stevenson’s breakout game was just the latest installment of an Alabama player going from unknown to breaking out as a star stepping up on the biggest stage. It’s been a reminder of how much depth the Crimson Tide have and may be a significant factor when they face No. 1 Connecticut in the national semifinals Saturday.

Alabama ‘full of threats’

The big game from Stevenson would not have been possible had another Crimson Tide player come out of nowhere and shine in the Sweet 16. 

Entering the Sweet 16, forward Grant Nelson had struggled in the first weekend of the tournament with had six total points on 1-for-7 shooting against Charleston and Grand Canyon, and his struggles resulted in him spending the majority of both games on the bench. 

Then against North Carolina, Nate Oats couldn’t keep Nelson on the bench. The North Dakota State transfer had several of his own runs during the game and “took over,” according to guard Aaron Estrada. Nelson finished with a game-high 24 points as the Crimson Tide became the first team of the tournament to defeat a No. 1 seed.

With such a legendary night, there was anticipation of what Nelson would do next in the Elite Eight. But it was a much more modest night after Nelson got into foul trouble early, finishing with an eight-point game. But when Nelson cooled down, that’s when Stevenson rose to the occasion. As Oats said after the Elite Eight win, he’s consistently “had different guys stepping up” when it matters the most.

“We just got a bunch of dudes who could just come in and score the ball, get buckets, make the right plays,” said guard Rylen Griffen. “We got a bunch of other threats on the floor, so you can't just focus on one person.”

How Alabama players maintain confidence

Alabama has one of the most unique offensive strategies in the country. It’s an analytic-based system that looks at expected points scored vs. actual points scored and loves to shoot outside shots. The 3-point shot is loved so much in Tuscaloosa that you can expect to get an earful from the coaching staff for passing up a 3-point opportunity. 

That was the case for Stevenson. After the opening miss against Clemson, he opted to pass the ball the next time he had an open look. Estrada then told him that he can’t be doing that and he needs to be taking the shot. Griffen had a similar sentiment; he added he wasn’t worried at all about Stevenson’s shooting slump. That worked out to be the lucky charm.

“Just having my teammates cheer me on and want me to shoot open shots, that gave me confidence,” Stevenson said.

Another emphasis Alabama has adopted during this tournament run is moving on to the next play, and not worrying about what just happened. It’s something Oats took from former Alabama football coach Nick Saban, who has been using the phrase as a way for Oats and his team to stay focused on its goal to have March Madness success.

“I'm just focusing on the next shot. Even though, yeah, I air balled one or two threes, just focusing on the next shot, really just helping me shoot better,” Stevenson said.

It was what was talked about heavily during the halftime break against Clemson. Sure, Alabama was up by three points, but the shooting numbers were far from what had been normal for the high-scoring offense. The analytics team, according to Oats, said the Crimson Tide should have been up by 11 points based on the “expected value” of shots. So, when people have rough halves or games, the mentality is not to worry about it and still take the same looks as if someone couldn’t miss a shot.

The strategy has gotten Alabama to a stage it's never been to before, and there may be some unknown player on the roster destined to shine bright against the top overall seed on Saturday night. They are all feeding off each other’s confidence, and it’s showing when it matters the most.

“We just have each other's backs, and I'm glad that we put it together,” Stevenson said.