Grant Nelson injury update: Pete Thamel shares major news on Alabama star, availability vs. Saint Mary's

Grant Nelson wasn’t supposed to play in Alabama‘s first-round NCAA Tournament game against 15th-seeded Robert Morris, but after a second-half scare, the 6-foot-11 forward called his own number and helped spark the second-seeded Crimson Tide to a 90-81 win Friday afternoon. The victory set the stage for Sunday’s Round of 32 game against seventh-seeded Saint Mary’s (6:10 pm ET, TNT), but Nelson’s nagging knee injury remains a point of consternation for Alabama fans.

ESPN insider Pete Thamel revealed Nelson (knee) “is available and ready to go” for Sunday’s game. But it remains to be seen whether he will return to the Crimson Tide’s (26-8) starting lineup or once again begin the Saint Mary’s game on the bench.

“I was told this morning that Nelson is available and ready to go. The question is, does he start and how much does he play?” Thamel said on Sunday’s College GameDay. “Clearly he’s been bothered by that knee if they waited that long to play him against Robert Morris. The good news for the Tide, Jarin Stevenson is back and available today (after) he got banged up in the Robert Morris game, he should be good to go.”

Stevenson suffered a left wrist injury early in Friday’s game but returned to action before halftime and played the entire second half, contributing just two points and one rebound in 19 minutes. Nelson, on the other hand, was clutch in his seven minutes of action Friday, sparking Alabama late with five points on 2-of-3 shooting and three rebounds.

“The biggest injury news to follow today is going to be Alabama’s Grant Nelson. He didn’t play for the first 31 minutes against Robert Morris, Bama was clinging to a four-point lead and he kind of stood up, looked at Nate Oats and Nate Oats looked at him and he went in the game,” Thamel said. “He’s been battling a nagging knee injury and he played well, seven minutes, five points, three rebounds and Bama held on for the win.”

Nate Oats reveals Alabama forward’s status for Saint Mary’s game

Grant Nelson is “planning on playing” for Alabama against Saint Mary’s in the Round of 32. That’s according to Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats.

“We were trying not to play him, play him in case of emergency, and Robert Morris was very good, and he needed to play there at the end,” Oats said, via BamaOnLine’s Charlie Potter.

A game-time decision after missing the last week with a sprained ankle, the 6-foot-11 Nelson was cleared to play before tip. Still, he spent the game’s first 31 minutes on the bench as Oats planned to sit him during Alabama’s first-round NCAA Tournament game.

But once Robert Morris hung around for a little too long, Nelson let Oats know he was going in the game. The Alabama head coach didn’t stop him.

“I mean, when he told me he was ready, I think he sensed it like ‘Oh, we can’t afford to lose this.’ He stood up like (he was saying) ‘Put me in,’” Oats told CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein during a postgame interview. “We were trying to get out of that game without playing him, but it does us no good if he doesn’t play and we go home.”

— On3’s Barkley Truax contributed to this report.