Alabama basketball found itself in a slugfest with St. Mary's for its Sunday March Madness contest. A trip to the Sweet 16 hung in the balance. But Crimson Tide star Grant Nelson hit a major milestone against the Gaels during their 80-66 romp.

The long-armed forward and graduate transfer hit a new accolade at 8:05 p.m. ET: He hauled in his 1,000th career rebound, which earned a new edit from the Crimson Tide basketball X page.

Hitting 1,000 rebounds at the collegiate level has grown into a rare mark. All because of the new era of “one-and-done” players plus the transfer portal. Nelson even endured a slow start to the 2025 tournament games. Alabama limited him to just seven minutes against Robert Morris. But mostly due to a knee injury.

Nelson came via the portal. He wound up betting on himself to eventually grab the new milestone moment.

Grant Nelson journey to Alabama before St. Mary's contest 

Alabama Crimson Tide forward Grant Nelson (4) shoots the ball in the first half against the St. Mary's Gaels during the NCAA Tournament Second Round at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
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The 6-foot-11 Nelson handles the dirty work for a guard-heavy philosophy in Tuscaloosa. Head coach Nate Oats prefers to attack teams with a three-guard lineup that emphasis shooting the three-pointer on the fly.

Nelson, though, cleans up the glass for Oats' squad. And he performed that duty efficiently well at the mid-major level.

The native of Devils Lake, North Dakota started his collegiate journey at nearby North Dakota State. Nelson emerged as an impact performer for the Bison by averaging 6.3 points per game and 3.7 rebounds for his freshman year. But his totals rose from there.

Nelson averaged 11.6 PPG then 4.9 rebounds in earning expanded playing time for NDSU as a sophomore. He turned to his wingspan to improve his numbers even higher as a junior: Grabbing 9.3 boards per contest and delivering 17.9 PPG.

The small city talent bet on himself by landing in Southeastern Conference country through Oats. He proved his impact in the Sweet 16 one year ago. Nelson joined past March Madness legends Kevin Love and Joakim Noah in recording more than 20 points, 10 rebounds and swatting four shots in a single game. Nelson eventually tasted his first Final Four with a program that hadn't reached that far in school history.

He just placed his hands on his 1,000th rebound as an SEC talent. And Nelson is helping continue the Tide's season.