LOS ANGELES Social media made it obvious that Grant Nelson was the standout player in Alabama’s Sweet 16 victory over North Carolina, even if you weren’t watching the game on Thursday night.
With 24 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks, the senior forward led the Crimson Tide in scoring. It was his third double-double of the year, with 19 of his 24 points coming in the second half. Nelson, though, had not had an easy time in Alabama’s opening two NCAA Tournament games.
Nelson only played 15 minutes in the lopsided victory over College of Charleston in the Round of 64, but he finished with three points and one rebound. The following game, against Grand Canyon, he had almost the exact same stat line and was in foul trouble. Nelson did not produce much, but Alabama still won the first two games by a combined score of double digits.
Nelson stated on Friday that he thought he let his teammates down during the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament, before to the Crimson Tide’s Elite Eight meeting with Clemson.
“It was more just, I could’ve given a better performance, better effort towards winning those games,” Nelson said. “But my teammates have me covered. They are aware that nobody will participate.
Dioubate had a spectacular final-minute performance in the Round of 32, finishing with nine points and five rebounds in just 13 minutes of play. In the last five minutes of the game, he scored all nine points, which was a major factor in Alabama’s victory over Grand Canyon.
On Thursday night, it was Nelson’s chance to provide the outstanding effort against the top-seeded Tar Heels. In the victory, four of the Crimson Tide’s starters scored in double figures. Alabama’s depth has prevented the team from suffering a lot of drop off if someone is missing or having a bad game, even with persistent injury concerns throughout the season.
“We have players from all over the world that have excelled on
Without a doubt, it won’t be simple,” guard Rylan Griffen of Alabama stated. Such like Clemson is an excellent squad. We will thus need to put in a tremendous amount of effort tomorrow both in our job and our play if we are to succeed in obtaining that. Put the game first, and all other matters will follow.”
