Grant Nelson injury update: Will Alabama star play in the NCAA tournament?

The Alabama Crimson Tide have been sweating over the fitness of star center Grant Nelson. He suffered a knee injury late in the first half of Alabama's 104-82 loss to the Florida Gators in the SEC Tournament semifinals last Saturday.

Given how the injury looked, there were doubts on his availability for the NCAA Tournament. However, after seeing a knee specialist, Alabama’s coach Nate Oats acknowledged that the team had "dodged a bullet," given that the severity of the injury was not as much as earlier feared.

“Just yesterday, he started doing basketball skill workouts,” Oats said during a press conference. “It’ll end up being a game-time decision based on what he feels like in the morning, but if he does end up playing, he won’t have practiced anything live up until then.”

Oats said on "Hey Coach" that the injury was not "too serious" and that Nelson's status for Friday's game was uncertain. Though he is expected to now feature at some point, per the latest report from 'Yea Alabama,' the school's official NIL collective.

The belief is that he could be forced to play if the team struggles in the game. But if the other players can do the job without him, there is a high possibility that he will be given an extra day to recover.

Alabama will open its NCAA Tournament campaign with a first-round matchup against Robert Morris at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

If Nelson does not feature, the team will likely struggle to replicate the quality he offers in rebounding and defense.

Grant Nelson's performance this season

The center has averaged 11.8 points per game this season, leaving him second for scoring, only behind Mark Sears, who is averaging 18.7 ppg. However, with 7.6 rebounds per game for the season, he is the team’s best rebounder.

Nelson has been consistent for Alabama right from the previous season, having contributed hugely to the Crimson Tide's Final Four run in the NCAA Tournament last year.

He was in fine form heading into this year’s March Madness, scoring 23 points in the team’s regular-season finale win against Auburn.