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Nate Oats provides update for Grant Nelson vs. Saint Mary’s
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Grant Nelson wasn’t supposed to play against Robert Morris on Friday.
Alabama’s star power forward is still recovering from a knee injury he suffered during the SEC Tournament, and according to head coach Nate Oats on Friday, the plan was to keep Nelson on the bench for Round 1 unless they felt it was necessary. As Robert Morris kept fighting in the second half – taking the lead at one point with under 10 minutes remaining – Nelson stood up and told Oats to put him in the game.
Nelson scored 5 points with 3 rebounds and a steal in 7 minutes of action – numbers that don’t jump off the page but were absolutely crucial on the court against a Colonials team with nothing to lose.
Because Nelson was brought in as an emergency contingency, it remained unclear whether Nelson would suit up for Sunday’s matchup against 7-seed Saint Mary’s. Oats cleared the air on that notion Saturday afternoon, insisting that Nelson is “planning on playing.”
The Tide are going to have their hands full with this matchup. Saint Mary’s is a stingy defensive team and lethal on the offensive boards, which differs wildly from Alabama’s game plan. Alabama wants to speed you up and Saint Mary’s wants to slow you down: The Tide have the quickest adjusted tempo in the country while Saint Mary’s adjusted tempo is among the slowest in the country per KenPom.
Every game Alabama has played except 2 have seen above 70 possessions, while Saint Mary’s has seen games with more than 70 possessions just 4 times. Whoever controls the tempo in this one will likely win the game.
Alabama vs. Saint Mary’s is set to tip off at 6:10 ET Sunday on TNT.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
