Nate Oats, Alabama embracing underdog role in Final Four: 'We're playing with house money'

For the first time in program history, Alabama is in the Final Four. While you could argue this is not the best team Nate Oats has had since arriving in Tuscaloosa, they’ve accomplished what nobody else has. The Crimson Tide are just two games away from winning a national championship — even if nobody expects them to win.

Alabama is a double-digit underdog heading into Saturday’s game. UConn has been rolling through the NCAA Tournament for two years now, winning games by an average of around 30 points in 2024. Just complete domination and the trend could continue against Alabama.

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Oats is embracing the underdog mentality, claiming the program is playing with house money. Making the Final Four was a huge accomplishment and given the opponent, people would be surprised if another step forward is taken. Not too much against Alabama, UConn has just been so good.

“We’re the fourth largest point spread in Final Four history,” Oats said on Tuesday. “So, nobody is going to pick us to win. We’re kind of playing with house money a little bit, if you will.”

Part of why the oddsmakers are making Alabama such big underdogs is because of their defense. It’s been a problem all season and Oats has given his honest opinion on the situation. Being KenPom‘s No. 104 rated Adj. Defense throughout the season does not usually equal NCAA Tournament wins.

Oats argues his team has been playing pretty good defense if you take out the minutes against Charleston when Alabama was up 31 points. He reckons around top 20 or 30 in the country in March and why the success has followed. Plus with having one of the best offenses in college basketball — something that has been a constant.

Even so, Oats does not believe a lot of predictions will come in for his team. No outside pressure to win will infiltrate the locker room but the Crimson Tide are going to Phoenix to win.

“There’s not going to be a ton of pressure on us,” Oats said. “We’ve made this school’s first Final Four. We’re going to enjoy the fact that we’re there and that there are only four teams left playing… It’s great but we’re going to try to win.”