College GameDay Visit Marks Another Milestone for Nate Oats' Alabama Basketball Program
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — For the first time in a long time, Alabama basketball will be the center of the college basketball world on Saturday morning.
The Crimson Tide program will play host to ESPN's College GameDay, the network's flagship television program for covering college basketball, which attends one of the biggest games and stories in the sport every single week.
“First time in program history that College GameDay is here for Alabama basketball," Alabama head coach Nate Oats said. "The program’s come a long ways that they want to come here for a game.”
A long way is right.
Alabama basketball was stuck in a bottomless pit of mediocrity for over a decade, with the team only making the NCAA Tournament two times (2012 and 2018) over a near 15-year span. Now under Oats, Alabama is well on track to receive its fourth NCAA Tournament bid in a row, something that the program hadn't done since Mark Gottfried from 2002-2006.
ESPN's College GameDay is hosted by Rece Davis, a graduate of The University of Alabama and native of the state, who grew up going to Alabama basketball games and attended the school during the Wimp Sanderson era — the most successful era in program history prior to Oats' arrival.
Davis said the most notable mark of Sanderson's tenure was the program's consistency as a contender, even though it never made a Final Four. He compared that consistency to what Oats has built in Tuscaloosa over the past five years.
“I think the consistency that Wimp Sanderson had, winning so many SEC Tournaments and being in contention, getting to the Sweet 16—and while I know that was a frustrating thing for the program, it was quite the mark of excellence, that you are continually in the mix," Davis said. "I think there are some similarities in that regard. The one thing that is really impressive about this era is that everybody’s at full strength in the SEC right now. And they’ve been really impressive in the way they’ve been able to compete consistently."
Oats, who was a relatively unknown name to the average college basketball fan when he was hired from Buffalo in March of 2019, has become not only one of the most well-known coaches in America for his high-octane offensive style, but also one of the best coaches in not only the SEC, but the country.
“He’s one of the finest coaches in the country," Davis said. "He’s really bright, he’s innovative. He doesn’t let his players play with freedom—he insists on it. They play a style that’s fun to watch, and he gets his players to buy into it.”
Since Oats arrived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama has become an absolute force in the SEC. The Crimson Tide has won two SEC regular season titles and two SEC Tournament championships in just the past three seasons, all while the SEC has grown to become one of the best basketball leagues in the country.
Alabama is now hot on the heels of a third SEC regular season title in four years, currently sitting tied for first place in the league standings at 12-3, with a chance to take solo first place with a win over Tennessee on Saturday night.
Year in and year out, Alabama is in the mix. Seemingly regardless of the changes that happen within the program, whether it be a transfer portal overhaul or a loss of every assistant coach to a head coaching gig, Nate Oats has made sure this program remains constant.
“The thing about this quest to win three conference titles in four years, is that he’s kind of done it with three different teams," Davis said. "It’s not like he built for a stretch and had a core group that stayed around. The Herb Jones team was very different, they shot threes and got up and down and played fast, but it was very different from the team with Brandon Miller last year."
"To just be in contention and do that this often is so impressive and is a badge of honor.”
While discussing this year's team as well as the changes the program has made since Oats has been at the helm, Davis mentioned this week's Ole Miss game — a game in which Alabama trailed by 14 points in the first half, but won — as a game that defines the major differences in Alabama basketball under Oats as opposed to tenures prior.
"That’s the type of game that has been a thorn in Alabama’s side for a really, really long time," Davis said. "It’s sort of the place where you get caught, and historically they have been caught there, and they fell behind double digits. I think that’s one of those things where a lot of old guard Alabama fans go, ‘well, here we go again.’ Instead, they answered. It’s probably a quintessential example of how they’ve been able to build and sustain in this run.”
That's what has separated Alabama basketball under Nate Oats compared to Alabama basketball under Avery Johnson, under Anthony Grant, even at times under Mark Gottfried — its ability to maintain consistent results.
Just look at the win/loss records Alabama has under Oats in various areas. In SEC play since the 2019-20 season, Alabama is 61-26. At home inside Coleman Coliseum, Alabama has only lost 10 total games in those five years, including just one in the past two years. Five of those 10 losses came in Oats' first season.
That home court advantage has led to national recognition in the form of College GameDay, which will set up its set at midcourt inside the arena for Saturday morning's show.
As the host of the show, Davis thinks of it as an opportunity for fans to convey their love and support for their program.
“I think it’s an opportunity to validate your program, get significant support from the student body and fans in general," Davis said. "Coincidentally, the show is on ABC. That's a pretty significant opportunity for Alabama fans to showcase their support for basketball. I think one of the things that’s overlooked about Alabama basketball, and nobody’s suggesting they’re Kentucky, is that they’ve been good, and they care enough to strive to be competitive and to be contender. I think sometimes that gets overlooked because they’re in the shadow of the football program."
Davis is right, normally it's Alabama football in the spotlight, especially when a show titled "College GameDay" comes to town. But not this time. This time, the focus is on Alabama basketball, whose meteoric rise under Oats is nothing short of incredible.
From SEC regular season titles, to tournament championships, to second weekend appearances, to lottery picks in the NBA Draft, to No. 1 rankings, to hosting College GameDay, it seems like nearly everything has been accomplished under Oats except that one elusive feat that has escaped the program for as long as its existed.
“I really believe that Nate Oats will get Alabama to a Final Four," Davis said.
It feels like its the last box left to be checked, but now that we're in March, anything can happen.
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