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Alabama

Nate Oats angrily punches clipboard, gets technical amid huge deficit vs. Missouri

Barkley-Truaxby:Barkley Truax•02/19/25•

BarkleyTruax

NateOatsArk
Feb 8, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats reacts to a call int he second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena. Alabama won 85-81. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Alabama head coach Nate Oats was called for a technical foul during the first half of Wednesday’s game on the road at Missouri.

The foul on the Crimson Tide head coach was called as the Tigers pushed their lead to 14. Oats appeared to take his anger out on his clipboard after the play. The incident wasn’t captured live on the broadcast, as the camera was fixed on the Missouri crowd but instant replay caught Oats in his moment of frustration.

Missouri would go on to lead by as many as 20 points during the first half after the Tigers came out and blitzed the Crimson Tide out of the gates. Mizzou scored the game’s first 12 points on the night, which proved to be the difference in the first half.

In all, Alabama gave up 59 points during the first 20 minutes of the game and trailed by 13 points at the break. Missouri led for the entirety of the half.

Of the Crimson Tide’s 10 turnovers, eight were clean steals by the Tigers. They also largely dominated the low post, outscoring Alabama 28-18 in the paint in the first half. Alabama has the edge shooting the ball from deep, cashing in on 50% (6 of 12) of their attempts compared to the Tigers’ 42.9% (6-14).

Both teams shot over 60% from the floor in the first half, but Missouri shot the ball eight more times than the Crimson Tide and doubled Alabama’s free throw attempts thanks to their extra possessions.

Even though Alabama shot better than Missouri from beyond the 3-point line in the first half, it was an all-around scoring effort for the Tigers. While Mark Sears was the only Alabama player to score in double figures (14 points), three Missouri players scored 10 or more points during the first half.

Mark Mitchell scored 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting, while Anthony Robinson II scored 12 and nailed a pair of 3-pointers. Caleb Grill came off the bench to erupt for 10 points and a pair of assists — one of which came via a flashy, behind-the-back pass that led to a basket and a foul after a sequence that sent the crowd into a frenzy in Columbia.

As Alabama looks to mount a 13-point second-half comeback, fans can tune in live on the SEC Network for what could be an exciting conclusion to another ranked matchup in the conference.