Nate Oats: 'Most teams in the country didn't set the standard as high as we set them'

Alabama has become a formidable contender under Nate Oats since he took over the program ahead of the 2019 season. Even though he’s brought the Crimson Tide to consecutive Elite Eight performances, it’s evident the bar is much, much higher than that for his program.

Following Alabama’s loss to the No. 1 seed in their region in Duke, Oats was reflective on the past three years for the Crimson Tide. They’ve made the Sweet 16 three times, the Elite Eight twice and the Final Four once. Still, the disappointment rang true. That’s because the expectations Alabama sets on itself are greater than most other teams, according to Oats.

“I don’t know if there’s been a better run in three-year history at Alabama. No. 1 overall seed, make a Final Four, and then make back-to-back Elite Eights. While it was disappointing for the standards we’ve set, most teams in the country didn’t set the standards as high as we set them,” Oats stated, via his postgame press conference. There was four teams go to the Final Four last year. We were the only one that was in the Elite Eight. The other three either didn’t make the tournament, were bounced before the Sweet 16, or Purdue, who lost in the Sweet 16.

“With the standard of excellence we’ve set across all of college basketball, we’ve established ourselves as one of the best programs in the country. Are we disappointed tonight? For sure we are, but we’ve put ourselves up there with everybody else. We’re going to continue to do that year-in and year-out and keep knocking on the door. Keep pounding the stone, if you will. Be one of the teams competing for a Final Four and a National Championship and conference championships in the best conference in college basketball every year. We’ll get back to the Final Four and win one here soon.”

One thing is for sure, there isn’t anyone who will doubt Oats’ ability to complete his mission statement for Alabama men’s basketball. The program looks completely different from the one the former Buffalo coach took over, and it’s obvious the sky is the limit when it comes to the hardwood in Tuscaloosa. They’re committed to getting this team on a championship-caliber level.

They’re not far off. The future is bright for Nate Oats and Alabama, and that’s largely due to the standard they’ve set for themselves. We’ll see if they can reach their ultimate goal sooner rather than later, but count them out at your own risk in the future.