Since being hired away from the Buffalo Bulls in 2019, all Nate Oats has done is win (70% win rate and NCAA Final Four in 2024). Now, he has another opportunity to win the biggest prize in college basketball.
But repeating last year’s Final Four appearance will require nothing short of a magic trick–beating the Duke Blue Devils and Cooper Flagg on Saturday night at Prudential Center (8:49 PM, TBS & TruTV). But don’t bet against the Crimson Tide (+7.5), the highest-scoring college team in America at 91.1 PPG. Thursday night in the East Regional semi, ‘Bama broke Loyola Marymount’s longstanding record for most 3s with 25 in a 113-88 win over the BYU Cougars.
Credit for scoring goes to Tide’s players, but Oats is the straw that stirs the drink. He knows how to run a major program, including hiring a strong staff, recruiting outstanding players, and managing game situations. He does that all in what is inarguably the strongest conference in the land. Witness that nearly half of the Sweet Sixteen teams this year were Southeastern Conference schools–Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, and Auburn. Besides, Oats has ‘Bama boosters to keep the basketball coffers full.
Even so, what Oats has done is remarkable, especially considering where Alabama was before he arrived in Tuscaloosa. His predecessors were Avery Johnson (2015-2019, 55% win rate), Anthony Grant (2009-2015, 58% win rate), and Mark Gottfried (1999-2008, 61% win rate). ‘Bama fans hadn’t seen Oats-like success since the colorful Wimp Sanderson (1980-1992, 69% win rate).
Wins are one thing, but March Madness success is another. The Crimson Tide made the regional final only once from 2000 to 2018 before Oats took over the program. Since then, the Tide have made the regional final once, the Elite Eight twice, and the Final Four once. That success has translated into being a three-time Top Five team (AP poll) at season’s end.
It would be a seminal moment for Oats’ program to have a back-to-back Final Four appearance with a win against Duke. It would be even better if they denied Duke’s Cooper Flagg of his glory on his way to the NBA.
To basketball, Nate Oates is what Nick Saban and Bear Bryant are to ‘Bama football. Like both generational coaches, Oats should be in Alabama for a long time … unless the NBA calls.
