No. 6 Alabama men’s basketball narrowly escaped North Dakota with a 97-90 road win on Wednesday evening.

While the ride to the home of the Fighting Hawks was over 1,300 miles away, it’s less than 100 miles from Alabama forward Grant Nelson’s hometown of Devils Lake. Nelson detailed during Tuesday’s press conference how excited he was to return to North Dakota and that he was given a separate web link from the rest of the team to invite significantly more family and friends than usual.

“I just felt so much love,” Nelson said when his name was announced as the starting lineups were read. “It’s great to play in front of these people who have supported me and I’m just super grateful for this experience, for the coaching staff scheduling this game and just giving these guys a show tonight.”

Nelson played in front of a fanbase he was and still is somewhat attached to. That said, he played at North Dakota State for three years before transferring to Alabama before last season and put up the “Roll Herd” with his arms and pointed to the stands during the game when fans were chanting “UND.”

Nelson tied with Preseason All-American guard Mark Sears for the team-lead in points at halftime with eight. However, like the rest of the Crimson Tide’s offense, Nelson shined in the second half and finished the game with 23 points, with 10 rebounds, three blocks and two assists. His point total tied for a season-high, and his rebound and block numbers each tied for his second-best performance.

Some of these numbers stem from clutch time as Nelson scored four points and secured three rebounds in the game’s final 90 seconds to ensure he left his home state with a win. To no one’s surprise, he was also named tonight’s Hard Hat winner for scoring the most blue-collar points, which measures his all-around hustle.

“I thought all in all Grant played pretty well coming back home,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said. “He shot pretty well, except from three…I’m glad Grant had family and friends at the game I’m glad we (scheduled) it.

“I thought Grant was very good for most of the game, I thought he came ready to play. He had the emphatic dunk in the first half, thought he made some big blocks, had some tough rebounds, made his free throws, got to the rim and finished pretty well. He’s a steadying influence.”

As the score suggests, this was far from an easy victory as Alabama often trailed throughout the game, but pulled away late. Nelson warned the team before the game that it would be tougher than expected. This was especially apparent in Summit League leading scorer and North Dakota guard Treysen Eaglestaff, who dropped 40 points.

“We played awful, pretty much the whole game,” Nelson said. “We came in, we didn’t take these guys seriously. I was telling them, this is a big game on their home court. We’ve got to take these guys serious. They’re playing for a lot…Can’t sleep on those North Dakota boys, they can really hoop.

“I’ve known [Eaglestaff] for a while, I played him when he was here and I was at North Dakota State. I knew he was a great player and our scouting report was pretty much around him…He’ll make a lot of money playing basketball. I think we let ourselves down, we’ve got a lot to learn, watch video and see what we can do better.”

The Crimson Tide will get a chance to show some improvement at home for its next game against Kent State on Sunday, Dec. 22 at 12 p.m. CT.

South Dakota State football is set to face North Dakota State in Fargo at 11 a.m. Saturday with a trip to the FCS national championship game on the line.

This is the sixth time NDSU has faced SDSU in the playoffs, but the Bison hold a 5-1 advantage in those games as well as the Dakota Marker after a 13-9 win in October.

Here is the tale of the tape between the two sides.

No. 3 South Dakota State (12-2, 7-1) vs No. 2 North Dakota State (12-2, 7-1)

When: Saturday, 11 a.m.

Where: Fargodome

TV/Radio: ABC, ESPN+/Jackrabbit Sports Network

What’s at stake?: History, the 2024 season, and bragging rights in a historic rivalry. This game has everything. North Dakota State has been viewed as the dominant team in the FCS for years, but South Dakota State has stolen that place on the mantle for the past couple of seasons.

This is the sixth time NDSU has faced SDSU in the playoffs. The Jackrabbits will have a tall task ahead of them this weekend as the Bison have won all five playoff games in Fargo. South Dakota State’s lone win in the playoff series was the most recent matchup when they defeated NDSU in the 2022 national championship game, 45-21.

Who’s better?: The two sides are pretty evenly matched, although North Dakota State did defeat South Dakota State this season to win the Dakota Marker for the first time in four years. 

Statistically though, South Dakota State certainly looks like the better team. It has the best scoring defense in the FCS, allowing only 12 points per game. The Jackrabbits also rank higher in total defense (280.4) and total offense (441.3) but NDSU has been more efficient with its offense and averaged more points per game. The Bison also ranks sixth in red zone offense while SDSU is 27th.

Matchup to watch: This is going to sound a bit vague, but the South Dakota State offense vs the North Dakota State defense. The last time these two teams faced off the Jacks actually held a 9-7 lead late and had multiple chances to build on it but failed. Instead, the offense sputtered out and the Bison eventually took advantage with a touchdown late to win the game.

The lone offensive highlight of the game for SDSU was a 66-yard touchdown run by Chase Mason. Mason had been out injured for a few weeks but made his return in limited snaps against Incarnate Word last weekend. He looked a bit rusty, but having both Mark Gronowski and Mason in the backfield adds a bit of unpredictability to the South Dakota State attack.

The South Dakota State offense certainly started the season as a question mark after losing many key pieces, but it feels like it’s clicking at the right time. The Gronowski-Griffin Wilde connection is the best it’s been all season and Amar Johnson, alongside the offensive line, has also looked sharp the past couple weeks.

SDSU wins if: Its offense can overcome a solid North Dakota State defense. The South Dakota State offense has struggled when it’s faced some of the top teams in its conference. The Jackrabbits scored 20 or fewer points against both South Dakota and NDSU. The Bison allow only 17.5 points per game and rank in the top 25 for rushing yards allowed per game. 

Prediction: 21-17, SDSU. It feels like the Jacks are peaking at the right time and they’ll be extra hungry with a chance at another FCS national title on the line.

How to watch: No. 6 Alabama at North Dakota

How to watch

Alabama’s projected starters

North Dakota’s projected starters

Focus for a full 40

A name to know

Game notes