Alabama defeated North Carolina 89-87 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night.
It elicited quite a reaction. March Madness, indeed. Former players such as Mark Ingram and Roman Harper joined in. Former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young was in attendance.
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl poked fun at Charles Barkley, who anticipated an Alabama victory, before breaking down the game’s outcome.
Grant Nelson became a folk hero on Thursday night, and Alabama defeated top-seeded North Carolina 89-87 to advance to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight for the second time in school history.
It all came down to the end. Nelson converted a go-ahead three-point play with 38 seconds left.
Nelson finished with a season-high 24 points, including 19 in the second half, and blocked RJ Davis’ attempt at a tying basket after Alabama took the lead. Rylan Griffen scored 19 points, tying his career high with five three-pointers, and Aaron Estrada also had 19 for the fourth-seeded Crimson Tide (24-11).
On Saturday, the Tide will meet sixth-seeded Clemson for a Final Four berth. In the first semifinal at Crypto.com Arena, the Tigers upset Arizona, the second seed, 77-72.
After Nelson blocked Davis’ shot with 25 seconds left, Davis dribbled about before missing a layup, and the Tar Heels were cited for a shot-clock violation with 8 seconds remaining. They were forced to foul, which brought Nelson to the line. He comfortably converted both for an 89-85 advantage.
Armando Bacot scored inside with one second remaining, leaving North Carolina down 89-87. With only 0.9 seconds remaining, the Tar Heels fouled Nelson again. He missed both, and time ran out for the blueblood Tar Heels, who have six national championships.
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