Alabama Basketball Trying to 'Change the Narrative' at Mizzou Arena
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nate Oats has accomplished a lot so far in his three and a half seasons coaching the Alabama Crimson Tide. He's won an SEC regular season and tournament title, taken Alabama to the Sweet 16 and has helped multiple players get drafted in the NBA.
But one arena has been a house of horrors for the Alabama head coach. Fortunate for Oats and the Crimson Tide, No. 4 Alabama (16-2, 6-0 SEC) gets an opportunity at Mizzou Arena for the fourth time in four seasons against Missouri (14-4, 3-3 SEC) this Saturday at 5 p.m.
"We've talked to our guys about playing at Missouri," Oats said Friday. "For whatever reason, I think it's the only place we've played at and haven't got a win since I’ve been here."
Because of a COVID cancellation in 2021, Alabama has actually never played at Texas A&M (but will at the end of this season on March 5.) However, the Crimson Tide has played at Missouri three times under Oats, losing all three matchups.
Nate Oats' record at Alabama against SEC Opponents
| Opponent | Home Record | Away Record | Neutral Site Record | Overall Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Arkansas | 2-1 | 1-1 | N/A | 3-2 |
Auburn | 2-1 | 1-2 | N/A | 3-3 |
Florida | 1-0 | 1-1 | N/A | 2-1 |
Georgia | 1-0 | 2-1 | N/A | 3-1 |
Kentucky | 2-1 | 1-2 | N/A | 3-3 |
LSU | 4-0 | 1-2 | 1-0 | 6-2 |
Mississippi State | 3-0 | 2-2 | 1-0 | 6-2 |
Missouri | 2-0 | 0-3 | N/A | 2-3 |
Ole Miss | 2-0 | 2-0 | N/A | 4-0 |
South Carolina | 2-0 | 1-0 | N/A | 3-0 |
Tennessee | 1-1 | 1-0 | 1-0 | 3-1 |
Texas A&M | 0-2 | N/A | N/A | 0-2 |
Vanderbilt | 1-1 | 3-0 | 0-1 | 4-2 |
Missouri and Texas A&M are also the only conference schools Oats has a losing record against. The Tigers were one of two teams to beat Alabama during the 2021 season on the way to the Crimson Tide's regular season conference championship.
There are multiple reasons why this Saturday is an important game for Alabama, and why it wants to win, but the winless record is definitely at the forefront of Oats' mind.
Prior to Oats' arrival, had won just two of its last 16 games at Vanderbilt dating back to 1991. Oats has a perfect 3-0 record at Memorial Gymnasium, including the Crimson Tide's most recent win Tuesday.
"There’s been places— apparently Vanderbilt was a tough place to play here before— where we’ve gone and won," Oats said. "And we’re just going to have to change the narrative about Missouri to be honest with you. We’re gonna have to go out, play hard. The first four minutes have to be really good. Our defense has to be great because they're so good offensively.”
So Oats has been able to successfully change the narrative at Memorial Gymnasium, but can he at Mizzou Arena against an offensively talented team led by Alabama native Kobe Brown? He certainly has the team to do so.
Despite the swirling storm of off-court distractions due to the arrest of former player Darius Miles, Alabama still beat the Commodores by 12 earlier this week, marking the sixth straight SEC game and seventh overall that the Crimson Tide has won by double digits. Alabama is just the fourth team in the last 50 years to start conference play by winning each of its first six contests by double figures.
Not only does Alabama have the talent with arguably the best freshman in the country in Brandon Miller, alongside multiple McDonalds All-Americans, but he also has depth. Oats is confident in 10 players he can put out on the floor at any time, and that number will jump to 11 once Nimari Burnett returns from injury.
Like previously mentioned, even Alabama's 2021 squad lost at Missouri, but Oats called this year's team, "different than the teams that lost up there."
Another thing that's different about this game compared to past seasons is the quality of the opponent. In 2020, Missouri was towards the bottom of the league, and Alabama had already beaten the Tigers by 14 points at home earlier in the season. In 2021, Missouri was an NCAA tournament team, but the Crimson Tide was the overall superior team and was 10-0 in league play before the matchup.
Last season, the Tigers were below .500 when the two teams met in Columbia, and Missouri finished the season 12th in the SEC, leading to the firing of Cuonzo Martin. Alabama went on to earn a 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament, yet lost to the Tigers in early January.
Now, under first-year head coach Dennis Gates, the Tigers are riding high off a comeback win against No. 25 Arkansas. Missouri has been ranked in the top-25 at multiple points this season and is in the top-10 of KenPom's offensive efficiency ratings. The Tigers could jump back inside the top-25 with a win over Alabama. So, this isn't the same-old Missouri team that Alabama has faced in past seasons, but it's also not the same Alabama team either.
Mizzou Arena was packed and rocking for the upset win against Arkansas on Wednesday, and Saturday's game against the Crimson Tide has been sold out for over two weeks. Alabama has gone from celebrating wins against No. 1 teams in North Carolina and Houston earlier this season to becoming the team that opponents will celebrate beating.
"We do just know we're going to get everybody's best performance, and we can't afford to not be ready to play because everybody that we play from here on out is going to be ready to play against us," Oats said. "I’m sure we’ll have a lot of sellouts places we go. Fans are gonna want to see their team play against a top-five team. They’re gonna be amped up trying to upset a top-five team.”
Alabama has three permanent opponents (Auburn, Mississippi State and LSU) that it plays twice every regular season. It faces the other 10 SEC teams each year, but it rotates which other teams get faced twice and at what locations.
Somehow, Missouri is the only non-permanent opponent that Oats has faced on the road in all four seasons at Alabama. And Saturday at 5 p.m. on SEC Network will be his fourth chance to "change the narrative" and pick up his first road win in Mizzou Arena.
See also:
Nate Oats: Alabama G Nimari Burnett Could Return as Soon as Next Week
After Hours at a Buc-ee’s in Athens: The Refuge for an Emotionally Strained Team
