Second-seeded Alabama and its East Region second round opponent, No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s, come into Sunday’s matchup in Cleveland each having received a dose of high-stakes basketball.
The Crimson Tide (26-8) held off a stiff challenge from Horizon League champion and No. 15 seed Robert Morris, 90-81, behind 22 points and 10 assists from Mark Sears — and with an unanticipated contribution from Grant Nelson.
Nelson, who sustained a knee injury in last week’s Southeastern Conference tournament, suited up on Friday but was questionable to play. With Robert Morris remaining within one or two possessions of Alabama, Nelson played seven minutes down the stretch.
“We didn’t play as well as we had hoped, and Grant was like, ‘We’re not going home, put me in,'” Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats said.
Sears and Nelson led Alabama’s run to the 2024 Final Four, and the duo are again the Tide’s top scorers. Sears leads the way with 18.8 points per game, while Nelson is second at 11.6. Sears also leads Alabama with 5.1 assists per game, and Nelson is the team’s top rebounder at 7.5 boards per game.
“I think he’ll be all right,” Oats said of Nelson’s status for Sunday. “We’ve got to get him a bunch of rehab because we’re going to for sure need him… (Saint Mary’s has) got a lot bigger front court (than Robert Morris).”
The Gaels (29-5) leveraged their frontcourt length for a 41-28 rebounding edge in their come-from-behind, 59-56 win over Vanderbilt.
Saint Mary’s grabbed nine of its 10 offensive boards in the second half, including Mitchell Saxen coming down with one of his 11 rebounds in total in the final minute to earn a trip to the free-throw line.
The play proved critical, forcing Vanderbilt to take a contested 3-pointer on its final possession.
“A big part of the rebounding for us is attrition,” Gaels coach Randy Bennett said. “We just keep coming, keep coming, keep coming.”
Saint Mary’s heads into the second round ranked second nationally in offensive rebounding percentage. The Gaels frontcourt size helps: Saxen is 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds, while Harry Wesseis is 7-foot-1, 275 pounds.
But Saint Mary’s guards also crash the boards effectively, evident on Friday with wings Luke Barrett grabbing 10 rebounds, Augustas Marciulionis coming up with eight, and Jordan Ross’ three including a victory-sealing snare.
Alabama has size of its own, particularly if the 6-foot-11 Nelson is able to contribute extensively. Nelson is able to stretch floor, moving out to the perimeter, when 6-foot-11 Clifford Omoruyi is on the court with him.
Otherwise, the Crimson Tide could employ a smaller, faster lineup emphasizing effective perimeter scorers Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway, who have averaged 10.6 and 11.2 points per game.
Saint Mary’s is unlikely to waver from its game plan regardless of the type of lineups it sees on Sunday.
“It’s just a contrast in styles. (Opponents will) go down (in) size and play with one big and…just kind of stretch you out,” Bennett said of teams looking to neutralize the Gaels interior length this season. “Because we have Saxen, we can guard that stuff better than people think. We have two 5s out there, Mitchell can guard 4s.”
–Field Level Media
