Nate Oats Shines Light On Alabama's March Madness Weapon Not Named Mark Sears

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jay Postrado | Last updated Mar 11, 2025 4:08 PM ET

Everybody knows which players are going to get locked up during the Alabama Crimson Tide's March Madness run. Coach Nate Oats has relied on Mark Sears consistently and even Grant Nelson at some point. But, the team from Tuscaloosa has a lethal weapon that fans don't think about as much.

Clifford Omoruyi has been a steady presence on both ends for Alabama. He is versatile and able to do good in any role that Coach Nate Oats assigns him to. His performances have been so good that he actually got named the eighth-most efficient player in all of college basketball.

The Alabama head honcho did not intend for this to happen but was over the moon with Omoruyi's performance, via Nick Kelly of AL.com.

“The offensive rating I think is a byproduct of how we use him and how effective he is at the rim. He’s not taking any bad shots. He shoots at-the-rim shots. He dunks them and he makes most of them. He makes his free throws and he doesn’t turn the ball over much because we’re not asking him to do a lot of creation. I’m sure that’s significantly improved," Oats said.

Omuruyi took a big step back in terms of production since he moved to Alabama from the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. He dropped to 7.5 points after three years of averaging more than double digits. But, his field goal percentage rose up to 74.6% which meant that his 137.6 offensive rating also skyrocketed.

Will Omuruyi become Alabama's x-factor come March Madness?

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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