Nate Oats explains how flagrant foul vs. Oklahoma helped spark Mouhamed Dioubate vs. South Carolina

Mouhamed Dioubate only played eight minutes in Alabama‘s 107-79 win over Oklahoma on Saturday. Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats cut into Dioubate’s playing time after he tripped Oklahoma star Jeremiah Fears and received a flagrant foul.

After four days, Alabama took the court again and Dioubate didn’t disappoint, helping the Crimson Tide run away with an 88-68 win over South Carolina. After the game, Oats praised Dioubate for his mental toughness in the bounce-back performance.

“He’s a tough kid. I wasn’t happy with the flagrant foul (against Oklahoma). It just wasn’t a smart play,” Oats said. “It was a turnover, so it was supposed to be our ball. They get two free throws and the ball. So, he lost some minutes in that game, quite a few minutes actually, but he had had a great practice coming in.

“We got his head right again and got ready to go tonight. I thought he was a really good matchup for Murray-Boyles.”

Dioubate played a much-improved 17 minutes against the Gamecocks, tallying seven points, two rebounds and two steals. As Oats mentioned, Dioubate’s defense was even more impressive than his offense.

The 6-foot-7 sophomore held South Carolina’s leading scorer, Collin Murray-Boyles, to just six points on 1-6 shooting from the field. For reference, Murray-Boyles is averaging 15.1 points per game on 59.9% shooting this season.

Following the win, Oats discussed Mouhamed Dioubate’s defensive prowess.

“I thought Mo Dioutbate’s defense on a Murray-Boyles was one of the big, big keys in the game, to be honest with you,” Oats said. “Dioubate did a great job guarding him. Mo’s +19 in his 17 minutes when he was in. He really impacts the game in a big way. I was happy with his effort.

“He’s long. He moves well. He’s tough. So he’s been having great weeks of practice, and we’re trying to get him more minutes,” Oats continued. “He had a great matchup tonight. He’s a guy that, if we’re ever not playing tough enough, he’s going to bring toughness. That’s what he does, and he brought it tonight, particularly on the defense end guarding their leading scorer.”

With the win, Alabama improved its overall record to 13-2 and 2-0 in conference play. Up next, the Crimson Tide will square off against No. 10 Texas A&M on Friday at 8 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ESPN.