Alabama basketball, Nate Oats agree to long-term contract extension amid coaching carousel rumors

Alabama men’s basketball head coach Nate Oates and the university are in the final, perfunctory stages of approving a contract extension, according to Crimson Tide athletic director Greg Byrne. The deal will reportedly make Oats one of the highest paid coaches in men’s college basketball.

Oats has apparently signed the new deal and the final step is approval by the university Board of Trustees next week. Oats, 49, has been speculated to be a popular candidate for schools seeking a big name to fill a high-profile head coaching vacancy this cycle.

“Nate Oats has signed a new contract that will go before the Board of Trustees for approval next week. We are excited about the success of our men’s basketball program and Nate’s continued commitment to the University. We look forward to him leading our men’s basketball program for many years to come,” Byrne said in the statement.

Shortly after Byrne’s statement, which didn’t specify the length of the extension of the financial terms, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello reported that the deal would make Oats one of the five highest-paid coaches in the country.

Oats has been highly successful at Alabama, leading the Crimson Tide to a pair of regular season league titles the past four seasons. In nearly five full seasons at the helm in Tuscaloosa, Oats is 113-52. He’s guided Alabama to a pair of Sweet 16 appearances in three NCAA Tournament appearances.

The Crimson Tide face Florida in the SEC Tournament on Friday evening

Entering Friday’s showdown, the Gators are 22-10 on the season, coming off a win against the Georgia Bulldogs in the prior round of the SEC Tournament. On the other hand, the Crimson Tide have been just as solid this season, entering the day with a record of 21-10 on the season, defeating Arkansas their last time out.

Both teams are looking for a win on Friday, and a chance to keep their SEC Tournament hopes alive. Time will tell, but here’s everything you need to know before Florida and Alabama tip-off this evening.

Odds for Florida vs. Alabama

Coming into the game, Alabama is a 4.5-point favorite over Florida, per FanDuel. The Crimson Tide are also currently listed at -190 for the moneyline right now, while the Gators are sitting at +160. 

The point total for the game is currently set at 170.5 points. We’ll see if these two conference rivals can get to that total when they clash on Friday. 

Final score predictions for Florida vs. Alabama

BPI Predicted winner: Alabama
BPI Predicted point differential: 7.5
BPI Win probability (for Alabama): 73.9
BPI Matchup Quality: 85.0

ESPN’s BPI is a model designed to provide a statistical comparison between two teams and predict future success. It agrees with Vegas about what to expect from this game. Leading into the game, BPI is projecting a point differential of 7.5 points in Alabama’s favor. It also gives the Crimson Tide a 73.9 percent chance to win the game over the Gators. 

BPI also gives this game a matchup quality score of 85.0, which is among the best for Friday’s competition. 

KenPom Predicted final score: Alabama 91, Florida 87
KenPom Win probability (for Alabama): 65%

KenPom is another predictive system for college basketball. It’s designed to show how strong a team is at a given time, without taking factors like injuries into account. For this game between Florida and Alabama, KenPom agrees with BPI and Vegas, projecting the Crimson Tide to win.

How to watch Florida vs. Alabama

Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
Channel: SEC Network, FuboTV (streaming)
Location: Bridgestone Arena | Nashville, TN

Florida and Alabama are set to tip off at 12:00 p.m. EST. It will be played at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN, with a raucous crowd expected to be at the showdown.

TRY FUBO FOR FREE: For a limited time, new subscribers can save $20 on Fubo’s Pro, Elite, and Premier plans 

For fans outside of the area, the game can be watched on SEC Network. It’s also going to be available to fans on streaming through FuboTV, which does have an option to save for new subscribers.