Alabama basketball isn't soft: Grant Nelson proved it vs UNC, Nate Oats says
LOS ANGELES − Alabama basketball didn't just win a game on Thursday. In Nate Oats' mind, the Crimson Tide also made a statement vs. UNC.
More specifically, Grant Nelson made it.
"I think people questioned whether we're frail, soft," Oats said postgame. "Grant showed we're not. We can go with the big boys."
Nelson scored 24 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked 5 shots as No. 4 seed Alabama outlasted No. 1 seed UNC 89-87 in the Sweet 16.
"Grant showed up," Oats said. "We've been to one Elite Eight in the history of Alabama basketball. This dude showed up tonight in a big way against one of the best bigs in the country."
Armando Bacot tallied 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but he was not nearly as effective down the stretch. Nelson was part of that effort to slow Bacot.
Now, the Crimson Tide will face No. 6 seed Clemson on Saturday with a trip to the Final Four on the line. Alabama has never made a Final Four before.
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Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men's basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball isn't soft. Grant Nelson proved it vs UNC
