TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Grant Nelson has had a roller coaster of a season so far. After some concerns at the beginning of SEC play for his scoring ability and defensive presence, that same guy is playing a pivotal role for No. 13 Alabama in the home stretch of the regular season.
After having multiple games with 10 points or less to start off the conference schedule, Nelson put on a scoring clinic against the No. 24 Florida Gators on Wednesday night as the senior forward dropped a team-high 22 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and picked up a season-high six blocks as well en route to a 98-93 overtime win at home.
“I think this was maybe his best game he’s played on both sides,” head coach Nate Oats said. “The best two-way game he’s played. He played really good on defense at Mississippi State on Tolu [Smith], but talking about both sides of the ball I think this is the best I’ve seen him since he’s been here.”
The Crimson Tide was without its sharpshooting starter Latrell Wrightsell Jr. which forced Oats to run a bigger lineup with freshman Jarin Stevenson and Nelson down low. With Florida being one of the top rebounding teams in the country, this decision ended up paying off for Oats.
Though the Gators were one of the most feared teams on the glass coming into the matchup, Alabama didn’t seem to struggle down low at all. The Crimson Tide ended up winning the rebounding battle 54-44, partially due to Nelson who continued to fight and hold his presence in the paint during his 37 minutes of action
“We had 21 offensive boards, as many as they had, and they had a lot,” Oats said. “You got to go down the line, Rylan [Griffen] and Aaron [Estrada], our starting two and three had a combined nine o-boards which is big. And I thought Grant fought in there, I thought Pringle in the second half really gave us big minutes, fought in there.”
Though the 3-ball wasn’t falling at the typical clip for Alabama, Nelson and the rest of Oats’ squad resorted to the old-school style and dominated inside the paint for 56 points down low, led by its 6-foot-11 starting center.
“I think him playing a little bit more five has helped him,” Oats said. “He’s able to drive more fives.”
Defensively, Alabama knew it was in for a shootout because of Florida’s elite offense. The Gators entered into the matchup with the ninth-highest-scoring offense in the country, averaging 84.8 points per game.
Though the Crimson Tide lacked in the defensive department throughout the night, the Gators shot just 9-for-30 from three-point range and were only able to put up 20 second-chance points off of 17 offensive rebounds.
“I think it’s starting to click for everyone,” Nelson said. “What everyone’s role is, which has helped us a lot. I mean, everyone’s role is to play defense, get rebounds, push it offensively, and whoever scores, scores.”
Next up for the Crimson Tide is a very tough road trip to Lexington as Alabama will face off against the high-powered No. 17 Kentucky Wildcats inside Rupp Arena on Feb. 24 at 3:00 p.m. CT.
