03/28/24 11:18:00
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03/28 23:16 CDT Alabama holds off top-seeded North Carolina 89-87 to reach
Elite Eight for 2nd time ever
Alabama holds off top-seeded North Carolina 89-87 to reach Elite Eight for 2nd
time ever
By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --- Grant Nelson converted a go-ahead three-point play with 38
seconds remaining, and Alabama beat top-seeded North Carolina 89-87 on Thursday
night to reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in
school history.
Nelson finished with a season-high 24 points, 19 in the second half, and he
blocked RJ Davis' attempt at a tying layup after giving Alabama the lead. Rylan
Griffen added 19 points, tying his career high with five 3-pointers, and Aaron
Estrada also scored 19 for the fourth-seeded Crimson Tide (24-11).
The Tide face sixth-seeded Clemson on Saturday for a berth in the Final Four.
The Tigers (24-11) defeated second-seeded Arizona 77-72 in the first semifinal
at Crypto.com Arena.
After Nelson blocked Davis' shot with 25 seconds left, Davis furiously dribbled
around before missing a layup and the Tar Heels got called for a shot-clock
violation with 8 seconds left. They were forced to foul, sending Nelson to the
line. He calmly made both for an 89-85 lead.
Armando Bacot scored inside with 1 second left, leaving North Carolina trailing
89-87. The Tar Heels fouled Nelson again with 0.9 seconds left. He missed both
and time expired on the blueblood Tar Heels, who own six national championships.
Bacot finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds for UNC (29-8). Cormac Ryan had
17 points and made five 3-pointers and Davis had 16 points.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and
coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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