AUBURN, Ala. — Nate Oats is hoping Grant Nelson’s late-season form last year is back for Alabama. The fifth-year forward took over the first half of the Crimson Tide’s 93-91 overtime win over No. 1 Auburn, scoring 15 points in the opening 20 minutes.
“We need him playing aggresive,” Oats told reporters after the game. He was one of the best players in the country last year in March when we made a Final Four run. Hopefully, we get Grant Nelson in March back for another March run for us.”
It was a much-needed performance for Alabama’s second-leading scorer and leading rebounder. Nelson not only helped lift the Tide past its in-state rival and pick up a win over the No. 1 team in the country but also restored some much-needed confidence in his own game.
Nelson finished with 23 points on 8 of 15 shooting from the field, including 3 of 6 from deep. He ended a six-game dry spell from beyond the arc against one of the best defenses in the country and tied Clifford Omoruyi with a team-high eight rebounds.
The points are the most Nelson’s had in a game since his 25-point game against Kentucky on Jan. 18. His scoring dropoff over the past few weeks has coincided with nagging injuries that have affected his practice involvement and, subsequently, his output in games on the offensive end.
When Alabama needed it most, Nelson was able to shake out of his slump. He credited his teammates and the Tide coaching staff for helping him re-find his scoring prowess Saturday.
“They’ve been giving me confidence and then we’ve been doing a lot in practice leading up and I’ve been getting a lot of treatment to try to get my body right,” Nelson said. “But, I mean, the coaches drawing up plays for me to get downhill really helped, and then that kind of got me going.”
Whether it was a play designed by the staff or Nelson attacking on his own volition, his most memorable display of confidence came in the first half when he dunked over Auburn center Dylan Cardwell. Nelson hit Cardwell and Broome with the crimson crane celebration after the play – Auburn did the celebration after it beat Alabama in Coleman. He converted the and-1 amid jeers from Tigers fans.
“I don’t know, I just decided to,” Nelson said with a smile. “It was the first thing in my head. He was just standing in front of me and, I don’t know, I just did it.”
Alabama got the Nelson it had been missing in losses to Tennessee, Florida and Missouri to close the regular season. The forward can be a difficult defender to stop when he gets downhill and powers his way to the rim. His performance Saturday once again proved that Alabama can defeat any team in the country when it's getting the most out of its versatile big man.
“He’s an athletic big with the way he moves," Oats said. "When he attacks the rim, he gets banged up a little bit in there. But, I thought getting him downhill early was important. We need him to be aggressive. That transition and-1 he got, hopefully got his confidence going. And I like the fact he went in to dunk the one, missed it, but it didn’t really faze him. He just kept playing. So, I was happy with aggressiveness. We need him playing aggresive
Along with Nelson, several other Tide players have dealt with lingering injuries this season. But Alabama now has six days to get healthy before its first game in the SEC tournament after earning the No. 3 seed and a double bye. The Tide will play its first opponent Friday in Nashville, Tennessee.
