Nate Oats calls for backcourt players to take care of ball vs. Auburn

Nate Oats and Alabama have a massive game ahead of them, hosting Auburn in Tuscaloosa. Slowly turning into one of college basketball’s top rivalries, every meeting has an intense feeling to it. But with both schools fighting at the top of the SEC, Wednesday’s contest will have some extra spice.

Coleman Coliseum will play host, with a ruckus crowd expected. Oats wants to take advantage but knows his team will have to play well to keep the noise going.

One of the easiest ways to take a crowd out of a game is by stacking turnovers and giving the other team quick buckets. It’s something Alabama has struggled with over the past few weeks, with Oats calling out his backcourt on Monday. He needs them to take better care of the ball moving forward.

“If you look at conference-only games, we’re dead last in turnover percentage,” Oats said. “We had not had that issue, really, until we hit conference play. So, we’ve got to get some guys to start taking care of the ball better. Starting with our backcourt — Mark (Sears), Rylan (Griffin) turned it over quite a bit vs. Tennessee. Aaron (Estrada) has had issues with turnovers. I think those three guys have to take care of the ball.”

Alabama had 22 turnovers against Tennessee, with 15 of them coming from the three names Oats mentioned. To be fair to Estrada, he only committed two, leaving a lot to be desired from Griffin and Sears.

The bad news for Alabama?

Auburn has been as good as anybody in the SEC in forcing turnovers. What has been the Crimson Tide’s weakness over the past few games, Bruce Pearl will be hoping his team has the opportunity to feast. Quickly silencing the Alabama crowd and building on an early lead is exactly how Auburn can head back home to the Plains with a win.

“Auburn turns people over more than anyone in the league if you look at conference-only games,” Oats said. “Their strength on defense has been our weakness on offense. So, that’s going to be a major area of concern and what we need to look at.”

Not once during SEC play has Alabama turned the ball over fewer than 10 times. They were under that number three different times during nonconference play. Oats has clearly highlighted the stat as a point of emphasis moving forward.

The three backcourt players he named are veteran guys as well, having an opportunity to step up in a big game against Auburn.