Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide are all set to dance in March, as they move up even closer to the top in the latest AP poll.
Alabama is the regular season SEC champion, and will now look to win the SEC tournament as the No. 1 seed. In the nation, however, Nate Oats and his crew move up two spots in the latest AP poll.
The Crimson Tide entered last week ranked No. 8 in the country, but after wins over Auburn and Georgia, the Alabama finishes the regular season ranked No. 6.
With the SEC tournament bracket set, Alabama is officially in postseason mode.
Despite this being Oats’ second season as the programs head coach, this will be his first time coaching in the SEC tournament, due to the pandemic cancelling last year’s tournament.
Alabama basketball is on a roll and as they enter the postseason, they’ll now have their eyes set on winning the MBB national championship.
Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide basketball team have made their presence known, not only in the SEC, but throughout the entire nation.
No. 8 Alabama ends their 2020-2021 regular season with an overall record of 21-6 and a conference record of 16-2. The program will head into the SEC tournament as the No. 1 seed after winning the regular season title. The Crimson Tide are also projected to enter the 2021 NCAA men’s tournament as a No. 2 seed.
Alabama has never won a national championship in basketball, but with a new look and an intense style of play, this could very well be the year they make a run for it.
BetMGM’s latest odds to win the 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament has Alabama with the sixth best odds to win it all.
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Alabama gets win No. 20 on their home court as they sweep the Auburn Tigers for the first time since the 2014-2015 season.
The Alabama men’s basketball team earns win No. 20 on the season, with one game remaining, as the Crimson Tide take down Auburn for the second time in 2021 with a final score of 58-70.
No. 8 Alabama’s record improves to 206 overall with an SEC record of 15-2.
Crimson Tide fans had their last chance to say goodbye to the seniors tonight in the final home game of their collegiate careers.
Sophomore guard Jaden Shackelford led the team in scoring with 23 points, while seniors Herbert Jones and John Petty combined for 15 rebounds.
This was the program’s first sweep over Auburn in basketball since the 2014-2015 season.
Alabama seems locked in as a No. 2 seed for the NCAA tournament, but will first have to go through the SEC tournament.
Up next for the 2020-2021 SEC regular season champions is a road game against Georgia.
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Alabama may have clinched the 2020-2021 SEC title, but a loss to Arkansas earlier in the week leads to the Crimson Tide droppin two spots.
Alabama basketball clinched the 2020-2021 SEC regular season title on Saturday with a win over Mississippi State on the road. The win improved the Crimson Tide’s record to 19-6, with a conference record of 14-2.
Nate Oats’ team entered the weekend ranked No. 6 in the country, but a loss against Araknsas earlier in the week hurt the Crimson Tide, as they drop to No. 8 in the latest AP poll.
Two more regular season contests remain for Alabama. They’ll face Auburn at home tomorrow, then Georgia will host the Crimson Tide on Saturday, Mar. 6.
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Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrate their SEC regular season title in the Mississippi State visitors locker room.
The Alabama men’s basketball program is currently ranked No. 6 in the nation, and is a team that’s quicky earning national recognition and respect. With the win over Mississippi State on the road last night, the Crimson Tide locked up the 2020-2021 SEC regular season title.
Head coach Nate Oats is only in his second season with the program, but is leading them to be serious contenders in March. In fact, without having coached a full season yet, with the 2019-2020 postseason being canceled due to the pandemic and 2020-2021 still ongoing, he has already earned a contract extension through the 2027 season with a sizeable raise.
Following the title-clinching win over Mississippi State, the team was waiting for their coach in the locker room with water bottles in hand.
When he came walking through the hallway, his wife, Crystal Oats, caught the celebration on camera.
Oats shared his excitement with the team, but hugged his family first.
This celebration was nearly 20 years in the making, as the Crimson Tide’s most recent SEC regular season title came in 2002.
Another view of the celebration. These guys deserve it with all their hard work. Love the pure joy on their faces. More work to do. ❤️🐘🏀 pic.twitter.com/YYbMAeNFUU
This story originally appeared on USA TODAY. It’s been a very good 2021 for Alabama, which one month after winning another national championship in football is poised to capture the program’s first regular-season conference championship in men’s …
It’s been a very good 2021 for Alabama, which one month after winning another national championship in football is poised to capture the program’s first regular-season conference championship in men’s basketball since 2002 and one of the top eight seeds in next month’s NCAA Tournament.
Success in the former (football) is less surprising than in the latter (basketball). Long a football powerhouse, Alabama basketball has been solid by SEC standards — third in league history in wins, for example — but far from a national contender, with only one trip to the Elite Eight on its record.
Times are changing. With an unexpected surge into the top 10 of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll in only the team’s second year under Nate Oats, one of college coaching’s breakout stars, the Crimson Tide are in position to capitalize on Kentucky’s swoon under John Calipari and become the team to beat in the SEC.
Saturday’s 82-78 win against Vanderbilt moved Alabama to 18-5 overall and 13-1 in the SEC.
This dominance of the conference — the Tide went into Saturday up three games on second-place Arkansas — has come against a very strong SEC, even as the national perception of the league has suffered for the Wildcats’ 7-13 record.
According to the NCAA’s NET rankings, the SEC is the second-best conference in the country behind the Big Ten. The league has seven teams in the top 56 of the rankings, a key metric used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
The latest USA TODAY Sports bracketology has six SEC teams in the field of 68, with the Crimson Tide as a No. 2 seed. That would match Alabama’s highest seeding in its tournament history, reached in 1987 and 2002.
“We had great expectations when we hired Coach Oats,” athletics director Greg Byrne said. “He has exceeded those expectations, and we want to ensure he is compensated among the top half of the SEC.”
Oats was hired from Buffalo in 2019 after leading the Bulls to three MAC championships and back-to-back trips into the tournament’s second round. Along the way, Oats developed a reputation for expressing opinions other coaches might play closer to the vest: “We’re the better team,” he said after Buffalo beat Syracuse in 2018, and after defeating Arizona in that year’s tournament said he was tired of “soft” Pac-12 teams not pressuring the ballhandler.
Alabama MBB HC Nate Oats has been doing an amazing job at the helm of the Crimson Tide basketball program. He’s now been extended to 2027.
Alabama men’s basketball Nate Oats has immensely shifted the culture within the program, which has earned him a contract extension through the 2027 season.
Currently, the Crimson Tide ranks No. 8 in the country with an overall record of 17-5, and a conference record of 12-1.
The team is heading toward being a top-three seed in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Oats, who is currently in his second season with Alabama, has an overall coaching record of 33-20 as the head coach of the Crimson Tide.
Not only has Alabama been playing some of the greatest basketball in program history, but they are in the national spotlight for something that’s not football.
For all of the aforementioned reasons, Oats and the university have come to an agreement to extend his contract through the 2027 season with an annual base salary of $3.225 million.
“We are excited to agree to a contract extension with The University of Alabama,” Oats said. “Crystal and our daughters love it here, and we are committed to The University of Alabama. We feel like we have a lot of positive momentum going with our team and have the program headed in the right direction. Our administration is making a major statement with this extension as we all work on building a successful program for the long term. I know the winning history we’ve had with Alabama basketball, and I feel like we can add to that and accomplish great things here. We appreciate the opportunity Greg Byrne and our athletics administration, President Stuart Bell, Chancellor St. John and The Board of Trustees have provided us. This is really a reflection of the outstanding job that our players, coaches and basketball staff have done the last two years. Now we need all of our focus to be on finishing this season the right way and giving our team the best chance to succeed down the stretch.”
We are thrilled to announce a contract extension through 2027 with @Nate_Oats.
Cecil Hurt and Hunter Johnson look back on Alabama Basketball’s recent contests. They look ahead to the upcoming week.
Cecil Hurt and Hunter Johnson look back on Alabama basketball’s contests with LSU, Missouri and South Carolina. They look ahead to the upcoming week and discuss events around the SEC.
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The No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide (16-5, 11-1) begins the final-third of the SEC slate this weekend when they host the Georgia Bulldogs (12-7, 5-7) inside Coleman Coliseum. Alabama returns home Saturday for the first time since Feb. 3, when the Tide …
The No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide (16-5, 11-1) begins the final-third of the SEC slate this weekend when they host the Georgia Bulldogs (12-7, 5-7) inside Coleman Coliseum.
Alabama returns home Saturday for the first time since Feb. 3, when the Tide wrapped up their sweep of the LSU Tigers, 78-60. Since then, Alabama has a 1-1 record in both games played on the road. Missouri got the best of Alabama on Feb. 6, the Tide’s first SEC loss. Alabama defeated South Carolina most recently, 81-78, on Tuesday.
The Tide has fallen in two of their last three road games, so hosting Georgia will bring a sigh of relief to the weary travelers from Tuscaloosa.
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Getting to know Georgia
Georgia’s K.D. Johnson (0) reacts after dunking the ball during a basketball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Georgia Bulldogs at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. Tennessee defeated Georgia 89-81.
Kns Vols Georgia Bulldogs Hoops
Record: 5-7, 3-5 SEC
Last Game: L, 89-81 to No. 15 Tennessee on Wednesday
Key SEC win: Ole Miss (twice)
Top scorer: Shavir Wheeler (13.5 ppg)
Top rebounder: Toumani Camara (7.3 ppg)
Top assists: Shavir Wheeler (139 total)
Top steals: Justin Kier (37 total)
The Bulldogs got off to a hot start in non-conference play, opening the year with a 7-0 record. However, the SEC slate has not been as kind to Georgia. After the hot start, Georgia lost four straight conference games before getting a win on the road at Ole Miss on Jan. 16.
The Bulldogs have been streaky against conference foes, but most recently found a string of luck by winning three consecutive games before losing to Tennessee on Wednesday.
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