Alabama Basketball Players Not Satisfied with Just a Trip Back to Elite 8

Nate Oats has the Crimson Tide in the Elite 8 for the second straight season, but Alabama has bigger goals in mind.

Mar 27, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide center Clifford Omoruyi (11) dunks the ball against Brigham Young Cougars forward Mawot Mag (0) during the second half during an East Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Prudential Center. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

NEWARK, N.J. –– For decades, it felt like the Sweet 16 was the ceiling for the Alabama basketball program. The Crimson Tide broke through to the Elite Eight once in 2004 under Mark Gottfried but had never reached a Final Four.

Nate Oats accomplished that in Year 5 last season and has the team back in the Elite Eight for the second straight season after Thursday night's win over BYU in Newark, New Jersey.

"It shows you how much the program has grown since Oats has been here and how much good basketball we’ve been playing the last few years," Alabama sophomore forward Mouhamed Dioubate said after the game.

Alabama's returning sophomores Dioubate and Jarin Stevenson only know the program as reaching the Elite 8 as a minimum. Stevenson said it's a good feeling being back.

"It’s just a team effort," Stevenson said. "Everybody’s contributing. Everybody’s making plays, being unselfish. I feel like that’s a big thing— being unselfish, getting rebounds, making physical plays.”

Oats added several key players from the transfer portal this offseason to try and build a roster that was capable of not only making it back to the Final Four, but winning a national championships. Two of those transfers, center Clifford Omoruyi and Chris Youngblood, are getting to experience the Elite 8 for the first time.

"It’s why I came here, man," Youngblood said. "We’ve got a great roster, a great group of guys, phenomenal coaching staff. So you know, it’s what we expected, but now that we’re in it, it’s time to win it.”

But Alabama isn't satisfied with just another Elite 8. The players and coaches have the goal of winning it all.

"I want to win," Omoruyi said. "This is a great. They made it to the Final Four last year. This year, we plan to win everything. Just for me, I want to be a part of that.”