Alabama beat No 1 seed North Carolina to make Elite Eight for just second time
Grant Nelson converted a three-point lead with 38 seconds left, and Alabama defeated top-seeded North Carolina 89-87 on Thursday night to reach the Elite Eight of the men’s NCAA tournament for the second time in school history.
Nelson finished with a season-high 24 points, 19 in the second half, and he blocked RJ Davis’ attempt to tie the game after putting Alabama ahead. Rylan Griffen added 19 points, tying his career high with five 3-pointers, and Aaron Estrada also scored 19 for the fourth-seeded Crimson Tide.
The Tide will face sixth-seeded Clemson on Saturday for a spot in the Final Four. The Tigers defeated second-seeded Arizona 77-72 earlier on Thursday.
After Nelson blocked Davis’ shot with 25 seconds left, Davis dribbled around furiously before missing a layup and the Tar Heels were called for a shot-clock violation with eight seconds left. They were forced to make a mistake, sending Nelson to the line. He calmed both for an 89-85 lead.
Armando Bacot scored with one second left, leaving North Carolina trailing 89-87. The Tar Heels fouled Nelson again with 0.9 seconds left. He missed both and time expired on the blue-blooded Tar Heels, who own six national championships.
Bacot finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds in his final game for UNC. Cormac Ryan had 17 points and made five 3-pointers and Davis had 16 points.
At times, UNC coach Hubert Davis looked like he was still playing for his alma mater, where he played under Hall of Famer Dean Smith from 1988-92. Davis ran up and down the sideline in his white sneakers, gesticulating and shouting and taking off his glasses as he watched his team’s every play.
The Tide made their only other Elite Eight appearance in 2004 under coach Mark Gottfried, losing to UConn. Alabama, best known for their football program, never made it to the Final Four.
UConn, the other No. 1 seed in action on Thursday, easily defeated San Diego State 82-52 as they continued their quest to win back-to-back titles.