Grant Nelson sat for the first 32 minutes of Alabama’s NCAA tournament game vs. Robert Morris before the Tide needed him to avoid one of the biggest March Madness upsets ever. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
Grant Nelson wasn’t supposed to play against Robert Morris.
The Alabama forward injured his knee in the SEC tournament and was officially deemed questionable for Friday’s first-round NCAA tournament game against the No. 15 Colonials. But Alabama showed how badly it needed him in the second half as it avoided one of the biggest upsets in men’s March Madness history with a 90-81 win.
Nelson entered the game for the first time with 8:47 to go and Alabama clinging to a four-point lead. Robert Morris briefly took a one-point lead about 90 seconds later, but Alabama went ahead for good with 6:40 to go when Aden Holloway found Nelson for an alley-oop.
Alabama was energized by the presence of its big man as Nelson’s dunk started an 11-1 run. In that span, Nelson grabbed rebounds and drew multiple fouls on the inside.
Nelson emerged during last year’s NCAA tournament as Alabama made it to the Final Four. He had 24 points in the team’s 89-87 Sweet 16 win over No. 1 North Carolina and scored 19 in Alabama’s semifinal loss to eventual champion UConn.
It was clear from the start of Friday’s game that Alabama hoped to get by without its second-leading scorer with the goal of him taking the court in the second round on Sunday. But Robert Morris gave Alabama all it could handle for much of the game.
The Tide led by just six at halftime and couldn’t shake the Colonials in the second half. As Robert Morris kept matching Alabama shot for shot, coach Nate Oats made the decision to throw Nelson onto the floor.
It turned out to be a pivotal one. Nelson finished with five points in seven minutes. Robert Morris’ Amar Dickerson led all scorers with 25 points, but he fouled out in the waning minutes as the Colonials’ upset bid faded away.
A Robert Morris win would have been the second-biggest upset in men’s NCAA tournament history by point spread. The Crimson Tide were 22.5-point favorites entering the game. Only No. 1 Purdue, who lost to No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson in 2023, has been a bigger NCAA tournament favorite and lost. The Boilermakers were 23.5-point favorites.
Instead, Alabama will play the winner of No. 7 St. Mary’s and No. 10 Vanderbilt in the second round. If the Commodores win, it’ll be an all-SEC matchup for the Sweet 16.
