Aaron Estrada thought Grant Nelson was due. Despite the struggles the Alabama basketball forward has faced this season, his teammate could see the performance Nelson displayed in the Sweet Sixteen coming.

“Grant’s season has kind of been up and down,” Estrada told AL.com in the locker room after the Crimson Tide beat North Carolina 89-87 to move to the program’s second-ever Elite Eight. “He’s been inconsistent here and there. But for him to play like that, in probably the biggest game of his career, it just says a lot. It’s a proven testament of his character.”

Nelson, under the Los Angeles Lakers’ championship banners in Crypto.com Arena, played his best game ever. He finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, leading the team in both categories.

He also blocked five shots, including a last second heave by North Carolina’s Harrison Ingram, who rebounded a Nelson missed free throw.

“Yeah, yeah,” Nelson said with a smile after the game when asked whether he knew if he’d got credit for the block as time expired. “Missed both free throws.”

Nelson transferred to Alabama from North Dakota State during the offseason. He joined a team that was losing key size in the form of Charles Bediako, giving him a chance to be a major contributor.

It would be the first time in his life he’d have a home gym outside of North Dakota. Nelson grew up in Devil’s Lake, and chose the Bison over the likes of North Dakota, Northern State, Minot State and Minnesota State-Moorhead among others.

“It’s a loving community,” Nelson said of his hometown. Really grew up with everything I could ask for. Playing basketball at the park every day. Had a good high school team. We didn’t go very far many years, but, I mean, they got me to North Dakota State.”

He made good with NDSU, making first-team all-Summit League. Nelson entered the NBA Draft after his third season but ended up withdrawing and heading to Alabama.

The 6-foot-11 forward liked new Crimson Tide assistant Ryan Pannone. He and Nate Oats bonded over their lousy golf games, and Nelson looked to provide key length that UA lost after its 2022-23 Sweet Sixteen run.

He starred in his first game wearing Crimson, putting up 24 points against Morehead State to open the season in Coleman Coliseum.

“I knew I fit in at practice,” Nelson said. “It was a little different, the physicality. Everyone’s athletic, everyone’s got length.”

Soon Nelson found he wasn’t going to be able to put up the same numbers he could in the Summit League. Alabama played some of the top bigs in the country, from Purdue’s Zach Edey to Mississippi State’s Tolu Smith, and the North Dakota native had his share of struggles.

He showed flashes. But through the first few games of the NCAA Tournament, Nelson was having trouble, scoring just three points in each game. Even so, Oats didn’t lose confidence, and the forward’s Alabama teammates said he never appeared rattled.

“I thought he could be this good,” the coach said after the game “Do I say, I thought he would be this good going into the game today? No because he had been struggling, but I knew what he was capable of when we got him.”

If Alabama was going to win, it needed Nelson. Nick Pringle was dealing with a foot injury and came up limping in the second half, fighting on, but was clearly never 100% healthy, and the Tide had to deal with North Carolina’s top big Armando Bacot.

Jarin Stevenson said he saw what Nelson was capable of in practice. Sam Walters told the forward, who he called his “big brother,” he needed to hit a “legacy three” against the Tar Heels.

Nelson made two threes, pointing to the North Carolina bench after the first. He hit six of his nine shots from the field and drained 10 of 13 free throws.

Afterward, he thought back to growing up in Devil’s Lake.

“Coming from a small town, watching all these teams, watching March Madness every year, I think it’s everyone’s dream,” Nelson said. “Really, this group of guys, we knew we could do it.”

Alabama now gets a rematch with Clemson, a team it lost to early in the season. Nelson said he’d be quick to move on, pointing out that the Crimson Tide didn’t come to the tournament to just try and be one of the eight top teams.

But in the moments after the UNC game, the Tide’s players and coaches were all thrilled for the forward from Devil’s Lake.

“Grant Nelson deserves to play well,” Oats said. “He works hard. He’s been all about the right stuff all year. Even when he struggled he just stays with it, stays with it. I couldn’t be happier for Grant.”