Alabama basketball lost to UConn in the Final Four on Saturday, ending an unexpected trip through the NCAA Tournament. The loss brought to an end the deepest postseason run in UA program history.

The final score was 86-72 in the Huskies’ favor. UConn will move on to play Purdue Monday in the national championship game.

Here’s what to know from the Alabama defeat.

Keeping it close

Throughout the NCAA Tournament, UConn’s Modus Oporandus was to beat its opponents with hammers for 40 minutes, earning enormous blowout victories.

The Crimson Tide kept that from happening in the first half. UConn never led by more than seven throughout the half, with Alabama using its three-point shooting ability to keep things close.

UA went 8-for-11 from beyond the arc. Mark Sears was slow to start the first half, but led the Crimson Tide in scoring by the end, dropping in a layup at the buzzer for his 10th and 11th points.

Despite the hot shooting, the Tide was still down 44-40 at the break. Stephon Castle led the Huskies with 13 points, and UConn outrebounded Alabama 18-15.

The Alabama defense couldn’t get the stops it needed to take a lead into the halftime stoppage, giving up 1.419 points per possession.

The final nails

UConn wasn’t putting the Crimson Tide away. All though the Big Dance, the Huskies were able to put other teams to sleep with massive runs, like the 30-0 effort in the Elite Eight against Illinois.

Not so against an upstart Alabama team, playing with house money as the No. 4 seed. Early on the half, UA showed no fear, trading 7-0 runs with the Huskies.

Things got hairy midway through the half, when UConn seized the momentum with an 8-0 run, taking a 64-56 lead and forcing Oats to take a timeout. But after that, UA never could fully turn the tide back its way.

Sears tried his best, hitting his shots seemingly when Alabama needed them most. However, the Huskies led by 10 at the under-4 timeout and the Tide couldn’t come back to complete the upset.

In the final minutes, the Huskies did what they were always capable of. Alabama was pressing to try and come back, and UConn took advantage of its mistakes on the way to the win.

Looking ahead

Alabama basketball’s longest-ever run has come to an end. The Huskies will face NC State/ Purdue in the national championship at 8:20 p.m. Monday on TBS.

The loss dropped Alabama to 25-12 on the season. The Crimson Tide had finished SEC play with a 13-5 mark.

Now, UA will face the same uncertainty this offseason that most teams do in the modern era of college basketball. The transfer portal is open for undergraduate entry through May 1.

The Tide will almost certainly see some attrition through the portal. The lone member of the team who has completely exhausted his eligibility is Aaron Estrada.

Mark Sears will likely face a pro basketball decision as well. Players are able to enter the NBA Draft process to get a draft grade before choosing whether to stay in or leave school.

Players can also enter the NBA Draft process and the transfer portal at the same time.