After everything he has meant to the Alabama basketball team this season, it would be nothing short of heartbreaking if Grant Nelson isn't able to play in the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, that's what a lot of people are fearing will be the case.
On Sunday, head coach Nate Oats revealed that Nelson, who suffered an injury in the SEC Tournament semifinals against Florida, will be meeting with a knee specialist on Monday. This of course is not a good sign with the first round of March Madness coming next Thursday/Friday:
Alabama's Grant Nelson will see a knee specialist on Monday to determine his status moving forward, per Nate Oats.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 16, 2025
Averages 11.8 PPG and 7.6 RPG.
Nelson suffered the injury in Saturday's SEC Tournament game against Florida.
Alabama star Grant Nelson is set to meet with a knee specialist on Monday
Nelson has been a beast on both ends of the floor. He's averaging 11.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. His blue-collar mentality is something Oats and the Alabama faithful love, as he's always there ready to make a tough play. With his status for the tourney being up in the air, Crimson Tide fans are quite worried and understandably so:
Seasons over
— Brandon Payne 🥋 (@brandonwxil) March 16, 2025
Grant Nelson likely done and so are our chances of goin deep..This yr had so much promise but thats gone now..Miracle if we make the 2nd weekend #BallAndOates #RollTide #Bama
— Matt (@mattyh_82) March 16, 2025
🙏🏼 🕯️ 🙏🏼
— PardonMyTide (@PardonMyTide) March 16, 2025
🙏🏼 🙏🏼
🙏🏼
🙏🏼 Please be Okay
Grant Nelson 🙏🏼
🙏🏼 🙏🏼
🙏🏼 🕯️ 🙏🏼
May not be a more important player for a team run right now. Brutal
— Josh Hatch (@jhatchlife) March 16, 2025
Given Grant Nelson has to go see a specialist for his knee..
— TorresOnBama (@TorresonBama) March 16, 2025
You have to assume the worst. Prayers up Grant hoping for a speedy recovery!
That's a killer for the Tide if he is out.
— Brandon Vise (@True_2_thebigbl) March 16, 2025
You've really got to feel bad for Nelson too. Nothing has been determined yet, though, and there's still hope things will turn out alright. However, the fact that he has to meet with a knee specialist lets us all know that this is more serious than originally thought.
As things stand, the Vegas oddsmakers have given the Crimson Tide +1600 odds to win the NCAA Tournament this year. Obviously, things are going to go down a bit if Nelson is ruled out moving forward. It opens the door for someone else to step up, but you can't replace everything Nelson brings to the hardwood.
On Saturday, Florida had its way with Alabama, which put the fanbase in a bit of a down mood. This Nelson update has only made things worse for so many people. We'll keep our fingers crossed that Nelson will be given a clean bill of health on Monday after meeting with the specialist, but we're also not feeling overly optimistic either.