There is no question that Alabama head coach [autotag]Nate Oats[/autotag] is one of the best basketball coaches in the country, but there were legitimate concerns surrounding this year’s squad. Not only did the Crimson Tide lose two players to the first round of the 2023 NBA draft, but they also lost a handful of players to the portal. Oh, and he also lost all three of his assistant coaches from a season ago to head coaching positions. Despite all of the changes, the Tide are cooking and back in the thick of March Madness discussions.
Oats has always prioritized playing the toughest out-of-conference schedule possible, so it was a bit bumpy out of the gates. However, the team is beginning to find their groove as they smoked the Missouri Tigers 93-75 in Coleman Coliseum. Recently hired head football coach Kalen DeBoer made a guest appearance as well that blew the roof off. The Tide’s win over the Tigers marked six straight wins including the past four all coming in conference play. [autotag]Aaron Estrada[/autotag] and [autotag]Rylan Griffen[/autotag] led the way with 21 points each and Grant Nelson poured in 13 as well.
The schedule gets even tougher as the Tide travel to Knoxville on Saturday to take on No. 6 Tennessee. Then four days later, Alabama will host Bruce Pearl and his Auburn Tigers.
4-0 start to SEC play 😎#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/kFnL4DxCQD
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) January 17, 2024
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