The Alabama Crimson Tide is more known for their football, but their men’s basketball team is making a lot of noise in this year’s March Madness.
Their inspired run saw them take down a powerhouse in the UNC Tar Heels, which head coach Nate Oats had select words for. There’s no doubt that they’re the darlings of college hoops fans who want something different to come out of the tournament.
Fans are curious as to what helped the Crimson Tide make the unlikely run to the Elite Eight, and the motivation he gave his team during the leadup will make things clear.
Nate Oats’ approach to the UNC game helped the Alabama Crimson Tide win
Days before the Crimson Tide faced off with the Tar Heels, Oats talked to his team and urged them to push themselves against a team many believed would make it to the Elite Eight.
“I did tell these guys, that’s great, we made a Sweet 16,” Oats said. “We’ve made three of them around here in the last four years. Four NCAA Tournaments since I’ve been here. In three Sweet 16s. We haven’t really done anything yet. We beat two seeds that we were supposed to beat.”
“We beat Charleston — no disrespect to Charleston, Pat [Kelsey] does a great job, will do a great job at Louisville — but Charleston has one NCAA tournament [appearance] in their program [history],” Oats said. “We beat Grand Canyon — they didn’t have a tournament win until this year. Those programs had two combined NCAA tournament wins.
“We haven’t done anything yet. It’s great to be in the Sweet 16. Let’s not take it for granted; there’s only two SEC teams left in it. But we haven’t done a thing yet. So let’s not act like we’ve done anything yet.”
Oats’ words pushed the Alabama Crimson Tide to one of their best finishes yet. Grant Nelson was unbelievable with his 24 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks. Aaron Estrada and Rylan Griffen scored 19 points a piece, and Mark Sears rounded out the scoring with his 18. The rest of the team contributed whatever they could to win over the Tar Heels, 89-87.
Clemson will be an equally tough opponent to face, but the Crimson Tide should have the momentum going in their favor. It wouldn’t be surprising to see them make the Final Four with the way they’ve been playing.
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