Nate Oats 'pretty happy' with Alabama's play during difficult 7-game stretch

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – With its 83-75 win over Creighton on Saturday night, the Alabama basketball team now completed its rigorous seven-game gauntlet in non-conference play.

The Crimson Tide emerged 8-2 with wins over then-No. 25 Illinois, then-No. 6 Houston, Rutgers, then-No. 20 North Carolina and Creighton and losses to then-No. 13 Purdue and Oregon in the finale of the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. Alabama has the nation’s fourth-hardest strength of schedule, per KenPom, and Nate Oats believes this stretch is tough to top.

“It may be the toughest seven-game stretch of anybody in the country in non-conference,” said Oats after the Creighton win. “We’ve scheduled pretty tough like this ever since I’ve been here. I think it’s the best way to prepare yourself for SEC play. I think our guys will be ready.”

After dropping its first game of the season at Purdue, Alabama won three straight, including an overtime win over a top-10 Houston team to start the Players Era Festival. Advancing to the title game, the Tide lost to Oregon by two points and lost Latrell Wrightsell for the season. However, Alabama rebounded with impressive showings against UNC and Creighton.

“The seven-game stretch, I was pretty happy with it,” Oats said. “It’d be nice to have those two losses back, particularly the Oregon one. To win that tournament – because we talk about winning championships – we were one possession shy of winning that thing. 

“But we’re learning from all these games and there’s plenty of stuff we can learn from this game and be better for SEC play come January.”

In all but one of the games, Alabama scored at least 80 points (78 at Purdue). The Crimson Tide entered the home game against the Bluejays ranked No. 6 in offensive efficiency at 122.9 points scored per 100 possessions, per KenPom. But Oats sees room for improvement.

After its win over Creighton, Alabama ranked 11th in the SEC in field goal percentage (46.7) and 13th in 3-point field goal percentage (31.7) through its first 10 games of the season.

“To be sixth in the country with as poor as we’re shooting right now is a tribute to the type of shots and some other stuff we’re doing,” Oats said. “But we have to start to make some shots here. So hopefully these next three games will help us get there.”

Alabama has three games left before its SEC opener against Oklahoma on January 4. As a nod to senior forward Grant Nelson, the Tide will travel to play North Dakota on December 18 before three straight home games. UA will welcome Kent State to Coleman Coliseum on December 22 and South Dakota State on December 29 before the calendar turns to 2025.

Those three opponents pale in comparison to the seven the Tide just faced, but Oats does not schedule slouches. He hopes the next three games serve as a final tuneup for SEC play.

“They’re not easy,” Oats said. “A road game at North Dakota is not going to be an easy game. Kent State and South Dakota State are both really good mid-major programs. 

“Kent State is one of the best programs in the MAC, where I came from. They’ll be ready to go. They’ll be tough, physical. We come back from Christmas, South Dakota State before we get into SEC play. So hopefully we can get a groove or rhythm offensively.”

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