Road to the Title: Everything you need to know about Alabama's Final Four faceoff with UConn
Video above: Nate Oats speaks before team leaves for Arizona to play in Final Four
Being an Alabama basketball fan can feel crazy at times.
But this? This is Madness.
After back-to-back-to-back appearances in the early rounds of the NCAA Tournament, head coach Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide have fought their way to the Final Four, placing them on a collision course with the No. 1 team in the country and the Tournament's defending champs: the University of Connecticut Huskies.
With an Elite Eight basketball net draped around his neck, Oats called the team's success this season "unbelievable" and "a little surreal."
But now, with the the celebration behind and a few final practices in the books, the Crimson Tide is dialed in and ready to take on not only the toughest challenge of the Tournament, but perhaps the toughest challenge the program has ever faced.
Below is everything you need to know about Alabama's March Madness matchup with UConn.
When is the game?
Tip off is set for Saturday at 7:49 p.m. CST.
Where is the game?
The game will be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, home of the Cardinals.
While the Tide arrived in the Grand Canyon State without issues Tuesday, mechanical issues forced UConn to catch a red-eye. After a long delay, the huskies touched down in Phoenix at 3:15 a.m. Thursday.
How can I watch the game?
You can watch the game on TBS or listen on the Crimson Tide Sports Network.
Additionally, you can follow along with live updates on our website and from .
How did Alabama get here?
Oats brought in four transfers after losing four starters going into this season, including No. 2 overall NBA draft pick Brandon Miller. One of those, lanky 6-11 forward Grant Nelson from North Dakota State, played a huge role in getting the program to its first Final Four, going for 24 points and 12 rebounds in the Sweet 16 win against No. 1 region seed North Carolina.
Nelson converted a go-ahead three-point play with 38 seconds remaining to push the Crimson Tide past the Sweet 16, just the second time in school history. The Tide made their only other Elite 8 appearance in 2004 under coach Mark Gottfried, losing to UConn.
Days after their victory over the Tarheels, Mark Sears buried Clemson under an avalanche of 3-pointers in an Elite 8 victory that ranked among his career-best games.
鈥淚 live for those moments. This is what March Madness is about,鈥� Sears said. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e a kid, you want to be in these moments. It feels like my dream came true today. My dream definitely came true today.鈥�
What about UConn?
With five titles under their belt, the Huskies are no stranger to the Final Four.
A year after cruising to their 鈥� winning their six NCAA Tournament games by an average of almost 20 points 鈥� the Huskies followed up blowouts in the first rounds of the Tournament with their ninth straight double-digit March Madness victory, demolishing San Diego State.
The defending national champions to power their way back to the Final Four on Saturday night, steamrolling Illinois 77-52 鈥� a March Madness record 10th straight double-digit victory for the top-seeded Huskies.
What are the odds?
The money line for this March Madness matchup is Alabama (+500), UConn (-800), .
What happens next?
The winner of this matchup will go on to play either the NC State Wolfpack or the Purdue Boilermakers for the NCAA Title.
>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Alabama Crimson Tide fans excited for historic run after team secures Final Four appearance
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