FARGO — Grant Nelson was the talk of the NCAA Division I men's
basketball tournament Thursday night. The former North Dakota State forward from Devils Lake, North Dakota, dominated the second half against top-seeded North Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen. Nelson finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds to lead No. 4 seed
Alabama to an 89-87 victory against the Tar Heels at Crypto.com Arena in
Los Angeles. "We've been working for this all season, but this wasn't our end goal," Nelson said. Nelson scored 19 points in the second to help Alabama (24-11) advance to the Elite Eight for only the second time in program history. "I was very proud of him," said Alabama guard Mark Sears. "It was very amazing." ADVERTISEMENT Alabama Crimson Tide forward Grant Nelson (2) reacts in the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday, March 28, 2024, in the semifinals of the West Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports The 6-foot-11 Nelson played his first three seasons at NDSU before transferring to Alabama prior to this season. "I thought he could be this good," said Alabama head coach Nate Oats. Nelson scored a 3-point play that gave Alabama an 87-85 lead with 38.6 seconds remaining. "North Dakota stand up!," Brian Anderson said in reaction to the clutch basket on the play-by-play on the CBS broadcast. GRANT NELSON IS ON
fire 🔥 BAMA LEADS AGAIN. #MarchMadness @AlabamaMBB pic.twitter.com/DqRZvQRA1m — NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 29, 2024 Nelson added two more free throws to make it an 89-85 lead with eight seconds remaining. “Grant Nelson got going and we kind of took off there," Oats said. Nelson added five blocked shots, including two in the final 30 seconds to help ice the victory. He blocked a potential game-tying layup from UNC guard RJ Davis with 24.3 seconds remaining that eventually led to to a shot clock violation with less than 10 seconds remaining. Nelson was 6-for-9 from the field, including 2-for-2 from 3-point range, and 10 of 13 from the foul line. Nelson also added an assist and a steal. ADVERTISEMENT “He showed up," Oats said. “Grant Nelson deserves to play well. He works hard.” In the postgame, one of the reporters asked "who is Grant Nelson?" and to "fill us in a little bit on life in North Dakota and how you ended up here?" "They already know who he is now," Sears joked. "I'm from a small town, Devils Lake, shout out to all those guys," Nelson added. "It's a loving community. I really grew up with everything I could ask for, playing basketball at the park every day. I had a good high school team. We didn't go very far many years, but it got me to North Dakota State where I stayed three years and then entered the portal. I liked coach Oats a little bit so I gave Alabama a chance and I think it's paying off." Check back at Inforum.com for more on this story. More from Eric Peterson Dragons forward and former Fargo Davies standout Owen Hektner enters the transfer portal 7h ago After dramatic semifinal victory, MSU Mankato vying for 1st D-II women's basketball title since 2009 8h ago Veteran coach Margenthaler relishing Mankato's historic basketball season, his team's run to D-II semifinals 1d ago Alabama Crimson Tide forward Grant Nelson (2) shoots against North Carolina Tar Heels forward Armando Bacot (5) in the second half Thursday, March 28, 2024, in the semifinals of the West Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Alabama Crimson Tide forward Grant Nelson (2) reacts in the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday, March 28, 2024, in the semifinals of the West Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports North Carolina Tar Heels guard Cormac Ryan (3) and Alabama Crimson Tide forward Grant Nelson (2) fight for a loose ball in the second half Thursday, March 28, 2024, in the semifinals of the West Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Share Share this article News reporting News reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags GRANT NELSON DEVILS LAKE FARGO INFORUM BISMARCK By Eric Peterson Peterson covers college athletics for The Forum, including Concordia College and Minnesota State Moorhead. He also covers the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks independent
baseball team and helps out with North Dakota State
Football coverage. Peterson has been working at the newspaper since 1996. Twitter