How Nate Oats Has Fared Against AP No. 1 Teams Ahead of Arizona Matchup

Alabama men's basketball head coach Nate Oats has raised questions about his non-conference schedule the past couple of years.

Some teams like to start extremely strong, and scheduling opponents with less of a recruiting base is the easy way to accomplish that goal. On the other hand, the Crimson Tide has had the toughest strength of schedule in the country for back-to-back years. It's resulted in some losses, but Alabama's ability to build off the failure has led to back-to-back Elite Eight appearances.

Next Saturday will be one of No. 12 Alabama's toughest tests this season, as it'll face No. 1 Arizona in the C.M. Newton Classic in Birmingham. The Crimson Tide is 2-2 against top-10 teams this season, and Saturday's game will be its first this year against the top-ranked team in the latest AP Top 25.

Nevertheless, this is far from the first time that Oats has gone head-to-head with the AP No. 1 team. Oats is 3-4 against the country's top team since his arrival in 2019. Here's a look at each of those matchups:

February 1, 2022

Then-unranked Alabama fell to Auburn 100-81 on the road despite 46 combined points from Jaden Shackelford and Jahvon Quinerly. Auburn's Wendell Green Jr. scored 23 points off the bench, while four starters finished with double figures.

November 27, 2022

Then-No. 18 Alabama outlasted North Carolina 103-101 in quadruple overtime at the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Oregon. Mark Sears and Quinerly combined for 45 points, while Brandon Miller and Charles Bediako tallied 14 apiece, with Noah Gurley and Jaden Bradley producing off the bench. It's important to note that Bradley transferred to Arizona after the 2022-23 season, and he's currently averaging 14.5 points for the Wildcats.

December 10, 2022

Then-No. 8 Alabama took down Houston 71-65 in a gritty road battle. Noah Clowney led the way for Alabama with 16 points, 11 rebounds and a pair of blocks, while Bradley and Sears combined for 23 points.

April 6, 2024

Then-No. 19 and NCAA Tournament 4-seed Alabama fell to UConn 86-72 in the Crimson Tide's first Final Four appearance in program history. Sears, Grant Nelson and Aaron Estrada's 56 total points weren't enough. The Huskies' entire starting five scored in the double digits, including 21 points from Stephon Castle.

February 15, 2025

It's hard to dispute that then-No. 2 Alabama's 94-85 loss to Auburn was the most anticipated matchup in the history of the Iron Bowl of Basketball. This Game of the Century at Coleman Coliseum was silenced by Tigers forward Johni Broome's 19 points, along with five other Auburn players finishing with 10-plus points. Sears and Nelson combined for 30 points, while Labaron Philon Jr. and Aden Holloway each scored 10 off the bench.

March 8, 2025

Then-No. 7 Alabama escaped Auburn with a 93-91 win thanks to a game-winning buzzer-beating floater by Sears. Nelson was the main star of the final game of last regular season, as he notched 23 points. Philon and Clifford Omoruyi each added 15 points, which helped the Crimson Tide outlast Broome's 34.

March 29, 2025

Note: The Blue Devils were the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, but came into March Madness ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25.

Then-No. 7 and NCAA Tournament 2-seed Alabama fell to Duke 85-65 in the Elite Eight. Philon scored 16 points, while Nelson and Chris Youngblood each put up 10, but the rest of the Crimson Tide struggled on both sides of the ball. Duke's Kon Knueppel led the way with 21 points, and three other players, including 2025 NBA Draft No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, scored between 14 and 17 points.