Alabama star Grant Nelson took over late in the second half against No. 1 seed Carolina in the Sweet 16 Thursday night in Los Angeles, sparking a late Crimson Tide run to stun the Tar Heels and end their season, 89-87.

Nelson, a transfer from North Dakota State, finished with 24 points, 19 of which came in the second half. An and-1 basket from Nelson with 38 seconds left gave the Crimson Tide a lead they would not relinquish. Alabama trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half and seven in the second, but Nelson scored 12 of the Tide’s final 16 points to help the underdogs advance.

A Nelson three gave Alabama an 82-77 lead with 3:46 to go and capped off a 12-2 run, but Carolina answered with eight consecutive points of its own after a timeout. After a layup from second team All-American Mark Sears cut the UNC lead to 85-84, Jae’Lyn Withers missed a three with time left on the shot clock and gave the ball back to the Tide, setting up more Nelson heroics in the final minute. Withers committed the foul on Nelson’s and-1, the capper on a nightmarish segment of basketball for the Louisville transfer. To put the cherry on top of Nelson’s clutch performance, he blocked Carolina’s desperate full-court heave to seal the game.

ACC Player of the Year R.J. Davis struggled mightily, finishing with 16 points on 4-20 shooting. He did not make a three-point basket all night, finishing 0-9 from long distance. It’s the first time since February of 2023 that Davis has not made a three in a game.

Armando Bacot scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but missed a dunk with 6:41 remaining in the second half which proved critical. It would have given Carolina a 74-69 lead. Cormac Ryan made five threes and scored 17 points, 12 of which came in a back-and-forth first half. It’s the final collegiate game for both Bacot and Ryan, who are out of eligibility.

Carolina scored 54 points in the opening half and led by eight at halftime, but the Tar Heels’ 52.6 shooting percentage at the break dwindled to just 38.5 by the end of the night. UNC shot 10-40 in the second half, during which time Alabama outscored the Tar Heels 43-33. Elliot Cadeau played just five minutes in the second half and 14 total.

UNC’s season ends with a 29-8 overall record. Alabama will advance to face No. 6 seed Clemson, which upset No. 2 Arizona earlier in the day to advance to its first Elite Eight since 1980.

 

Featured image via Todd Melet

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