Nate Oats Provides Alabama Basketball Injury Updates Ahead of Ole Miss Contest

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— After vehemently denying any connection between his remarks postgame on Saturday about center Clifford Omoruyi's toughness and Auburn star Johni Broome's injury earlier that same day, Alabama head coach Nate Oats said the Crimson Tide big man will be good to go for Tuesday's home game against No. 21 Ole Miss.
"Apparently, there was some misunderstanding," Oats said. "When I referred to Cliff being tough coming back from an ankle injury, I had nothing in my head at all about Johni Broome's injury... Saying that one of our guys is tough does not insinuate that somebody from another team is not."
Guard Houston Mallette, who's been dealing with knee issues since arriving to the program prior to his Dec. 4 debut against North Carolina, will not be available for the second consecutive game as the program mulls reinstating his redshirt with an eye toward his potential for next season. Oats mentioned that possibility prior to Saturday's road win over then-No. 10 Texas A&M.
"Houston had two really bad knees when he came in. He's made a ton of progress on them since he's gotten here, but they continue to have to be evaluated," Oats said. "We're gonna actually keep him out tomorrow. Cliff will be in. Houston will be out, like he was last game."
Omoruyi injured his ankle in the second half of the contest last Saturday, but returned late as the Aggies launched a late comeback bid. Oats attributed his success in the early stages of SEC play, an encouraging sign for a reigning Final Four participant which lacked a player that fit Omoruyi's mold last season, to his willingness to adjust to Alabama's pace and system.
Both the No. 4 Crimson Tide and Rebels are undefeated in league play, sitting at 3-0 and 14-2 overall entering Tuesday's matchup. While this will be by absolutely no means uncommon in the behemoth that is this season's SEC, both of Alabama's home conference opponents thus far have been ranked entering the game. The Crimson Tide secured the kind of victory on Saturday in College Station that is as good as any: a road conference win against a highly ranked opponent.
"This game's gonna go a long ways in determining who's gonna be in the mix to win an SEC championship as we continue to move through conference play," Oats said. Having Omoruyi available is a needed boost to that end, though the absence of Mallette's hustle and shooting ability is a loss especially to a roster sans Latrell Wrightsell Jr., whose season-ending Achilles injury necessitated Mallette shedding his redshirt in the first place.