How Alabama basketball's mentality has led to relishing playing on the road

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Winning on the road is a notoriously difficult thing to do in college basketball, but Alabama has been exceptional at it this season.

The Crimson Tide has a 5-1 record in true road games this year, which includes a 5-game winning streak in road arenas after losing its first road game of the season to Purdue back in November. Of those five road wins, three game come against ranked teams in then-No. 20 North Carolina, then-No. 10 Texas A&M and No. 8 Kentucky yesterday afternoon.

After the Crimson Tide’s win over the Wildcats in Rupp Arena, a building Alabama came into the game with a 10-57 record in, head coach Nate Oats was asked what makes this team so good at being able to walk in and handle hostile evironments.

He pointed to the mentality of the individual players on the team.

“I think some of the guys’ mentality. We’ve got tough kids,” Oats said. “We kind of start with [Mo] Dioubate. He wasn’t phased by any of this stuff. A tough, New York City kid. Part of me almost thinks some of these guys like going on the road, seeing – the place didn’t empty till about 10 seconds to go, so it’s not like it emptied super early. Some guys, like real competitors sometimes like going in a little bit more hostile environment and coming out with big win that nobody expected, I mean, after the way we be played Tuesday, I don’t think anybody expected us to play this well. But our guys did.”

The win is even more impressive for Alabama considering it was coming off a home loss on Tuesday night, being upset by No. 21 Ole Miss in a game the Tide was favored by double digits in.

But all that did was provide more reason to be locked in for the trip to Lexington.

The game was an offensive showcase, with a final score of 102-97 demonstrating exactly why these two teams are both ranked in the top-5 in offensive efficiency.

Playing a road game against an explosive offense means there are going to be plenty of big scoring moments for the home team, moments that allow the 20,000-plus crowd at Rupp Arena to get loud and into the game, making things even more challenging.

Those moments came, and Alabama wasn’t overly phased. The Tide players kept their composure no matter how loud the arena got or how much it felt like a Kentucky run was bound to come and bury them at any moment.

It started as early as the first half. Kentucky went on a 7-0 run out of the gate to take a 7-2 lead, and Alabama responded immediately with an 11-0 run to quiet the crowd. Kentucky built a first half lead as high as six points, which is dangerous territory for a road team as the lead threatened to move into three or more possessions, but Alabama answered with a 12-2 run that gave the Crimson Tide the lead at halftime.

Alabama had a lead for much of the second half, but things started to shift as Kentucky made a run to tie the game at 81 points apiece with just over five minutes left. Most teams would fold then and there, with their lead evaporated and the home crowd feeling like they’re about to take the lead. Instead, the Tide went on a 9-0 run that sent a stunned hush through the crowd and had fans hitting the exits before the final buzzer.

Following the Tuesday loss to Ole Miss, Oats was determined to get a win this weekend however the team needed to, and he relayed that message to the team in a strong way ahead of the trip to Lexington. It’s safe to say they shared that mentality, and responded accordingly.

“I told them that after the game Tuesday, after Ole Miss, I told them that when we met Thursday, ‘We are going in there and we are getting a win by any means necessary. If you’re not planning on getting a win, just pack your bag because you ain’t coming back on that plane,'” Oats said. “So we came in, I think, with the right mindset, and guys made sure we got to win whatever it took.

“We screwed up some defensive assignments, keep playing, make some tough shots on offense, get to the free-throw line, get some O boards. Kentucky was, I mean, they had 13 O boards. They actually out-scored us on second-chance points. I thought they had some toughness to them that in some games I hadn’t seen, but it’s there when they needed it. We were just a little bit tougher, got a few more threes off, made a few more. But they’re a good team. They’re gonna win a lot of games this year.”

The perseverance, toughness, and stability this team has shown on the road bodes well for the Crimson Tide’s SEC title hopes, as the team has already secured three road wins in conference play in the first five games. Holding serve at home and avoiding letdowns like Tuesday’s game are a must, but if Alabama can continue playing well on the road like this it’ll find itself right in the middle of the regular season title discussion in early March.

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