Alabama freshman Jarin Stevenson just latest hero for Final Four-bound Crimson Tide in win vs. Clemson

Stevenson gave No. 4 seed Alabama the spark it needed vs. the No. 6 seed Tigers in the West Regional final

By Cameron Salerno Mar 31, 2024 at 2:41 am ET• 4 min read

LOS ANGELES -- Alabama freshman Jarin Stevenson was sitting in a classroom as a junior at Seaforth High School in Pittsboro, North Carolina, around this time last year. Months later, he decided to speed up his timeline as a college basketball player by reclassifying to join the Crimson Tide for the 2023-24 season.

Stevenson had to grow up fast as a 17-year-old this season in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. On Saturday, in the Crimson Tide's game against No. 6 seed Clemson the Elite Eight, Stevenson had to accelerate that process even faster after Alabama big man Grant Nelson ran into foul trouble.

Stevenson came in cold off the bench and delivered the best performance of his basketball career in the biggest game in Alabama basketball history. Stevenson scored 19 points and hit five 3-pointers in an 89-82 victory in the West Regional final to send Alabama to its first Final Four in program history. The Crimson Tide will face No. 1 overall seed and reigning national champion UConn on Saturday in a national semifinal in Glendale, Arizona.

"Getting in the gym and working on my jump shot prepared me for this moment," Stevenson told CBS Sports. "Working with coach (Nate) Oats and finding opportunities to make plays, defensively looking to make plays. That's really paid off. ... (this week) has been amazing. Having these moments, it's great. Beating North Carolina, that was a great moment. Making it to the Final Four and making it past Clemson, that's history made."