Alabama basketball fans have been waiting with bated breath for an update to the status of senior forward Grant Nelson. Nelson went down on during Saturday's SEC Tournament semifinal matchup against Florida in the first half and wasn't able to return. Early reports were worrisome with the news that Nelson would be seeing a specialist on Monday to determine the severity of the injury and a timetable for his return.
Crimson Tide fans were beginning to prepare for life without Nelson in the NCAA Tournament. Any hope Alabama has to make a deep tournament run rested on the status of his injured knee. It was hard to see the Tide making it back to the Final Four without him.
During his radio show on Monday night, Oats provided a much more positive update on Nelson than most fans had prepared themselves for:
Nate Oats on “Hey Coach” about Grant Nelson: “Not sure he’ll be ready by Friday. We’re hoping at a minimum he’d be ready by Sunday with the possibility of maybe Friday. … We dodged one, it wasn’t anything too serious with his knee but for sure will be questionable for Friday.”
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) March 17, 2025
Nelson will be questionable for Alabama's NCAA Tournament opener against 15-seed Robert Morris on Friday. Theoretically, that seems to be a game the Crimson Tide could live without him. With St. Mary's or Vanderbilt waiting in the second round, Alabama could certainly use him then.
Grant Nelson is a major part of what Alabama does
Nelson has taken plenty of heat from the fanbase for not being the otherworldly superstar talent some hoped to get when he transferred to Tuscaloosa from North Dakota State. But he has been a productive players in his two years here and always seems to step up when the Crimson Tide needs him to.
He's Alabama's second leading scorer this year and leads the team in rebounds and blocked shots. In just 10 minutes against Florida on Saturday, Nelson had nine points, three rebounds, an assist, block, and a steal. Alabama led by one when he exited the game with 3:40 to go in the first half and got outscored by 23 from then on.
Nelson came up big on the Plains in helping lead Alabama to an upset of No. 1 Auburn in the Jungle. He scored 23 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in the Tide's overtime win.
He had an unforgettable performance in Alabama's Sweet 16 win over North Carolina last year. Nelson went toe-to-toe with Armando Bacot and scored 24 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and blocked 5 shots. He took over down the stretch of Alabama's 89-87 win.
Nelson was equally impressive in the Final Four against UConn's Donovan Clingan. Nelson scored 19 points and 15 rebounds against the lottery pick from the Huskies.
He's built for March and will provide a significant boost for Alabama if he's able to get back on the court this weekend.