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Grant Nelson status updated prior to Alabama’s first-round NCAA Tournament game
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Grant Nelson will be available on Friday for Alabama when it faces 15-seed Robert Morris in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but the senior forward will come off the bench.
CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported the news Friday morning, shortly before tipoff. Head coach Nate Oats told Rothstein that Alabama would “see how (Nelson) feels after warmups.”
Later, Oats told the Crimson Tide Sports Network that Nelson would be “available to play if needed.”
The expectation heading into Friday’s game has been that Nelson would at last attempt to play. Oats listed Nelson as day-to-day on Thursday when he met with reporters. He did not practice during live periods with the team on Thursday, and Oats said it was more likely Nelson would be fully recovered for a potential second-round game on Sunday than the Friday tip.
Nelson sustained a knee injury during Alabama’s SEC Tournament loss to Florida. He told reporters on Thursday that he would attempt to play if he felt he could help the team win.
The 6-foot-10 Nelson leads his team in rebounding (7.6 per game) and blocks (1.2) while also scoring 11.8 points per game. Nelson is capable of stepping outside and knocking down jump shots, making him a crucial piece of what the Tide want to do on offense.
With Nelson limited to 10 minutes in Alabama’s last game, Jarin Stevenson picked up the slack. Prior to the SEC Tournament, Stevenson hadn’t seen more than 24 minutes in a game since Jan. 25. He played 30 against Florida, scoring 10 points with 5 rebounds.
Tipoff on Friday between Alabama and Robert Morris (26-8) is set for 12:40 p.m. ET on truTV. The Crimson Tide are a 22.5-point favorite, via ESPN Bet.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
