LOS ANGELES — North Carolina stalled out late on Thursday night, and Grant Nelson was there to take advantage.
Nelson absolutely dominated down the stretch, and came up with a huge block late, to lead Alabama to a huge 89-87 upset win over top-seeded North Carolina on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. That officially sent the Crimson Tide into their first Elite Eight since 2004.
“We’ve been in one Elite Eight in the history of Alabama basketball,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “This dude showed up tonight in a big way against one of the best bigs in the country.