Nate Oats shares special message about players after Alabama's latest ranking

After ranking as the top team in the nation in the latest AP Top 25 poll, Alabama head coach Nate Oats shared what it meant to his team. The Crimson Tide players are on top of the college basketball world now, jumping over Houston in the rankings as Purdue slipped out of the top spot.

Nate Oats on Alabama’s No. 1 ranking

Oats appeared on the Paul Finebaum Show on Tuesday to discuss the latest rankings and highlight what exactly it meant to his team to be the number one program in the nation. When asked if the ranking was a great tribute to his team’s hard work, he answered that it felt good to see even if the goal is still the national championship.

“It really is,” Oats said. “Obviously, it doesn’t mean anything in the middle of the regular season but it is good recognition for what the players have been able to do. For the caliber of players we’ve been able to bring in, it’s hard to get to No. 1 without really good players. They’ll be able to tell their kids on whoever they were No. 1 in the country for however long we end up being No. 1, hopefully it’s a while. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t mean anything but it’s nice to get the recognition that your program is up to this level that we’ve gotten it up to.”

After a pair of losses to UConn and Gonzaga early in the season, Alabama has been red hot outside of a shocking 24-point loss to Oklahoma on the road. The Crimson Tide have a perfect 12-0 record in SEC play this year and have built a two-game lead over the rest of the conference — but being ranked the No. 1 team in the nation is an even more special accomplishment for Oats and his players.