Alabama basketball’s win over Robert Morris Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament was too close for comfort most of the way. The Crimson Tide won 90-81, but it took the Colonials taking the lead in the second half to spur UA into the win.
Alabama survived the scare and will play the winner of Saint Mary’s and Vanderbilt on Sunday.
Before that, here’s three takeaways from the Crimson Tide’s win.
Not good enough
Alabama threatened to pull away multiple times in the first half. The Crimson Tide clearly had a talent advantage.
But when the first 20 minutes ended, UA was only up by four points, 40-36. Cliff Omoroyi led the way for the Tide early, with 15 points.
On the other end, Alabama couldn’t stop Robert Morris’ Amarion Dickerson. The 6-foot-7 forward had 13 points and four rebounds for the Colonials, leading the team in both categories.
UA got up 10 points three times in the first half. Each time, Robert Morris clawed back, eventually pulling within three points.
Mark Sears hit a free throw to make the deficit four right before the halftime break. Still, the first half showed the Crimson Tide couldn’t take the Colonials easy if it hoped to avoid an upset.
Needed Nelson
Leading up to the matchup with Robert Morris, Crimson Tide forward Grant Nelson’s status was in question. He suffered a knee injury against Florida in the SEC Tournament semifinals and was a game-time decision for the Robert Morris matchup.
“Grant wants to play,” Nate Oats said Thursday. “He’s a competitor. He played great in the NCAA Tournament last year. 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 live up until then.”
Ahead of the game, the Crimson Tide announced that Nelson would be available. He did not start the game, with Jarin Stevenson taking his normal spot in the lineup.
Nelson didn’t appear in the first half, remaining on the bench wearing a warmup top. Nelson also donned a compression sleeve on his left leg, with what looked to be a knee brace underneath it.
With 8:47 left, Alabama decided the situation was bad enough that Nelson needed to play. He looked to be moving well on the court and finished with five points and three rebounds, with his presence seeming to energize the team.
Survive and advance
There was nothing easy about Friday’s win. Even with the neutral site, the crowd was heavily favoring RMU, with Pittsburgh just a quick drive from Cleveland.
Time and time again, the Colonials cut it close, even taking the lead briefly in the second half. Alabama never played up to its No. 2 seeding, and the game got ugly.
Dickerson gave the Crimson Tide fits on the offensive end for Robert Morris. He finished the game with 25 points and nine rebounds before fouling out late in the second half.
But in the end, Alabama avoided one of the worst disasters in program history. The Crimson Tide will face either Saint Mary’s or Vanderbilt in the second round on Sunday.
