Kalen DeBoer, Nick Saban in attendance in Alabama basketball game vs Tennessee

Alabama is set to host Tennessee for a massive SEC showdown in Tuscaloosa. Whoever wins on Saturday night could wind up winning the conference regular season title. A massive game for the Crimson Tide and the stars have certainly arrived at Coleman Coliseum.

Football head coach Kalen DeBoer is in attendance, as is his quarterback Jalen Milroe. The football program has been supportive of Nate Oats throughout the years and they are now going to bring the energy. Milroe was even a part of College GameDay earlier in the day, providing the ESPN crew with some BBQ.

Arguably the most powerful man in the city, Nick Saban, will be watching as well. Part of the perks of retirement, Saban has the chance to take in more basketball games than usual.

However, in years past, he likely would have gotten a seat in the front row. But times have apparently changed, with DeBoer getting to sit next to athletic director Greg Byrne. Saban will now be in the second row and maybe get a bird’s eye view of the game.

Sabear has to sit on the 2nd row tonight pic.twitter.com/yyFdlPD4Ya

— Hunter Johnson (@BurnerLJohnson) March 3, 2024

DeBoer has not experienced Bryant-Denny Stadium quite yet but Saban was a part of quite a few multiple big wins at home. The crowd noise inside of Coleman Coliseum may not be at the same level as the 100,000 at a football game but Alabama fans will surely try.

A fun atmosphere is waiting for DeBoer and Saban.

Nate Oats explains hard hat tradition at Alabama

During Alabama basketball games at Coleman Coliseum, hard hats are a staple of the student section. Even during College GameDay on Saturday, students were wearing the construction hats ahead of tip-off against Tennessee.

It’s a tradition that goes back to when Nate Oats arrived in Tuscaloosa and the type of identity he wants the Crimson Tide to embody. Alabama has been in the top three of KenPom adjusted defense in two of the last three seasons, and Oats said the hard hats go to the players who make plays that don’t necessarily show up in the stat sheet.

While this year hasn’t seen the same type of defensive success, Oats said the hard hats continue to be the symbol of that goal.

“We’ve got blue-collar points that we tally up throughout the game – deflections, floor dives, charges, rebounds, rebound tips. All kinds of stuff,” Oats said. “Stuff that’s not necessarily measured in the [typical] box score, that’s kind of dirty, grimy, blue-collar stuff on a construction site. We try to do that.

“We’ve been top-three in the country in defense two out of the last three years. Not this year, we’re still working on getting our defense going this year. But we do emphasize playing hard, for sure.”