No. 2 seed Alabama basketball is advancing to the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive season after their 80-66 victory against No. 7 seed St. Mary’s basketball in the Round of 32 on Sunday.
The Crimson Tide featured big man Grant Nelson, who has been managing a knee injury, on the court during the match. Following the game, he shared his thoughts on why he believes the Tide has not received the recognition it deserves this March Madness.
“I feel like we’ve been slept on. There’s a lot of people saying things about us, like we’re about to lose this game. So we knew we had to come out and bring energy,” reported On3’s Charlie Potter on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Nelson concluded the game with 12 points, eight rebounds, and two assists, showcasing a solid performance by shooting 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.
Alabama basketball is set to face No. 6 seed BYU in the Sweet 16 on Thursday in Newark, New Jersey, with the tip-off time and broadcast details to be announced.
Alabama basketball’s depth played a crucial role
One of the key advantages for Alabama basketball in their Round of 32 win over St. Mary’s was their depth.
Head coach Nate Oats emphasized the significance of the Crimson Tide’s ability to outlast St. Mary’s due to their numerical superiority.
“Yeah, I thought we wore them out, particularly towards the end of the first half,” Oats remarked via Tide Illustrated. “As you mentioned, they kind of play a seven-man rotation. Hardaway played just under two minutes, and that was it for their eighth guy. So, seven players logged the majority of the minutes. Saxen played over 39, Erik almost 37, Marciulionis over 34, Ross over 34. So four of their starters played over 34 minutes.”
Oats is confident that Alabama has the potential to reach the Final Four for the second consecutive year.
“Yeah, for sure,” Oats affirmed. “We’re definitely deeper with more guys available. I thought Derrion Reid was great on Friday. It didn’t work out to give him as many minutes this game, but we have guys I’m comfortable playing double-digit minutes. Grant Nelson was hurt. We managed to get by without playing him for much of the game, and Darrion’s performance allowed us to hold off on Grant until about seven minutes left in that game.”
Image Source: Grant Nelson @ Instagram
