When Alabama and North Carolina tipoff on Thursday night in Los Angeles in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, it will be the second meeting between [autotag]Nate Oats[/autotag] and Hubert Davis in as many seasons.
Last season, Coach Oats and the Tide got the best of Davis and the Tar Heels with a 103-101 win in quadruple overtime on Nov. 27, 2022, in the Phil Knight Invitational.
The stakes will be higher on Thursday night with a spot in the Elite Eight up for grabs as each team sets its aim for the Final Four in Glendale.
On Wednesday, Coach Davis spoke with the media ahead of the matchup and would offer up a tremendous compliment for the job done by Coach Oats in Tuscaloosa.
Coach Oats has done a terrific job at Alabama. He’s a great coach. His teams have been consistent every year, from a defensive standpoint, tremendous athleticism. They can get steals and deflections, great rebounding team. They pressure you. They try to dictate and decide how you play on the offensive end.
Then from an offensive standpoint, it’s straightforward and clear. They’re trying to get 3s, layups, and dunks and free throws. And they’ve got the personnel to be able to do it. Great guard play, size at the 4 and the 5 positions that can shoot 3s and can finish around the basket.
They propose a lot of problems and challenges for you, but we’re really excited about the challenge of playing them tomorrow night.
Coach Davis is more than familiar with what it takes to make a deep run in the tournament having made the national championship game in his first season as the Tar Heels’ head coach in 2021-22.
Tipoff between the Tide and Tar Heels is scheduled for 8:39 p.m. CT and will be televised on CBS.
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