Duke’s stream of long, tall NBA-ready standouts smothered Alabama and papered over Cooper Flagg’s rough shooting night to lift the Blue Devils to the program’s 18th Final Four with an 85-65 victory over Alabama.

Mark Sears shot a free throw late in the second half that could have cut Alabama's deficit to 10 — a last-gasp effort at a comeback still within reach — and watched the ball clang off the back rim. Even the supposed gimmes weren’t automatic for Sears on this night.

Mark Sears and the Alabama Crimson Tide looked like one of the better teams in the NCAA Tournament through the first three rounds. But the Elite Eight was the end of the road. On Saturday night, Sears aimed to lead No.