NEWARK, N.J. — Alabama’s 2024-25 season came to an end one step short of a second consecutive trip to the Final Four. The Crimson Tide fell 85-65 to No. 1 seed Duke in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

The Tide was outmatched by a talented and balanced Blue Devils side on both ends of the floor. Duke’s efficient shotmaking put Alabama at an early deficit that it was never able to overcome. Defensively, Duke shut off Alabama’s outside shotmaking, and the Tide missed too many open looks that it made when it set a record just one game ago. When it went looking for answers in the paint, the Tide only found lengthy Duke defenders and was unable to generate the offense necessary to save its season.

Here are three takeaways from Alabama's season-ending loss to Duke.

Though Alabama had the experience advantage heading into the game, Duke’s youthful stars got going early. No player for the Blue Devils took over the game, but it was a collective barrage of smart shotmaking that sunk the Tide.

Duke didn’t panic in possession. It carved apart Alabama’s defense with strong ball movement and took full advantage of any miscommunication by the Tide when it tried to switch guarding pick-and-rolls or off-ball cutters.

Freshman guard Kon Knueppel sliced his way through the Alabama defense and hit any open or slightly contested look, especially from midrange. He led the Blue Devils with 19 points on 6 of 14 shooting.

Alabama’s shot coverage wasn’t where it needed to be to pull the upset. The Blue Devils’ 3-level scoring meant it wasn’t overly reliant on one area to get points, but constantly drilled shots and got production from up and down its roster. Star freshman Cooper Flagg didn’t have a legacy game but still scored 16 points. Sophomore guard Tyrese Proctor was lethally efficient from the field, scoring 14 points on 6 of 9 from the Floor.

Duke started the game by making three open 3-point attempts to open up a lead and set the tone for the game. The first came when Nelson opted to go under a screen for Flagg and he hit the shot. The second was from an offensive rebound that left Knueppel open after a scrimble, and the third was off a ball-reversal to Proctor.

Duke had different answers all game long to get open shots, and despite the Tide’s improved defense this season, it was left one step behind too often Saturday. Alabama was unable to completely shut Duke down in any one area offensively, which spelled doom for the Tide’s chances at a victory.

Nate Oats said Duke’s tempo is less about its offensive playstyle and more about its ability to make looks at the rim difficult for offenses. The Blue Devils can force teams to play late in the shot clock and entered the game ranked No. 3 in opponent effective field goal percentage.

That recipe became too much for even the Tide’s fast-paced and elite offense to handle. The Blue Devils switched everything and Alabama was forced into long possessions in the halfcourt and had to take far too many difficult shots over Duke’s defenders.

Alabama did generate its share of open looks with decent ball movement. But it went ice cold on those shots, especially from beyond the arc. After an NCAA Tournament record 25 made 3s against BYU, Alabama shot just 25.8% from deep Saturday. Star guard Mark Sears fell back into the form he was in before the BYU game, scoring just six points on 2 of 11 shooting in the final game of his Alabama career.

No Tide player got hot enough to become the hero Saturday. Labaron Philon had his first big game in the tournament, leading Alabama with 16 points, and adding five rebounds and three assists. His productive outing was for nought, however, as none of Alabama’s five starters finished with a positive box plus-minus rating. Sears tied his best as a playmaker with five assists, but also turned the ball over five times.

When the Tide was able to run in transition, either off of missed shots or turnovers, it didn’t take enough advantage for a team that normally feasts on fastbreak opportunities. Alabama finished with just eight fastbreak points and turned it over a few times in transition, which didn’t help its cause is it tried to dig itself out of an early hole in the first half.

Duke’s most definative advantage was created with its size. The Blue Devils had more length on paper coming into the game, and made the most of its size on both ends of the floor.

Alabama actually held its own in the rebounding category on paper but never turned any production it got into meaningful points. The Blue Devils had more second-chance points despite Alabama’s slight edge on the glass, and their length made it seem like the Blue Devil' 41-30 edge on the glass was even higher.

The Tide managed to match Duke’s three blocks in the first half, but the Blue Devils still scored 40 points in the paint offensively. Alabama managed just 28.

While Knueppel and Flagg made shots on offense, Duke’s third elite freshman, forward Khaman Maluach, set the tone inside on both ends. In 30 minutes, he racked up 14 points and eight rebounds. Duke found him on several lobs and Alabama had few answers when he operated in pick-and-rolls.

On defense, Maluach gobbled up boards and had a two of Duke's three blocks. He forced Alabama players away from the rim when they drove inside and they constantly had to rise up over Maluach’s rangy wingspan, which turned more high-percentage looks into lower ones for the Tide. Alabama finished just 9 of 20 on layup attempts.

In a game where both teams underperformed their expected offensive outputs, Duke also won more of the 50-50 plays needed to secure a victory in a win-or-go-home game. The Blue Devils were first to more loose balls, including a definitive one in the first half while Alabama was on a 7-0 run. Instead of having a chance to cut the game to two possessions, Duke came up with the rock and hit a 3 off the O-board. A few extra Duke effort plays combined with its efficient offensive outing was enough to end the Tide's season one game short of the Final Four.