What worries Nate Oats ahead of Alabama's game vs. Indiana State

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama recorded a convincing win to open the 2023-24 season the last time out and the Crimson Tide signed a pair of top-50 recruits as part of the early signing period. But Nate Oats opened his Thursday press conference by praising Alabama’s next foe.

“Indiana State’s good,” Oats said. “They’re coached by one of the better coaches in the country, in my opinion. I’ve known Coach (Josh) Schertz for a while. We’re kind of cut from the same mold, basketball junkies. They play similar to us. I think they were No. 1 in the country in two-point field goal percentage last year because they don’t take any bad twos.

“They’re getting to the rim, they’re getting fouled and they’re taking threes, and he does a really good job with it. He’s got spacing fives that can shoot. We’re going to have trouble if we’re not locked in on D. Anytime you screw up on defense, they make you pay.”

The Crimson Tide will welcome the Sycamores to Coleman Coliseum on Friday, Nov. 10, for a 7 p.m. CT tipoff (SEC Network+). Alabama is coming off a 105-73 win over Morehead State to open the season, and while Oats was pleased with his team’s performance, given the number of new players on the floor, he wasn’t thrilled with the defensive effort.

“I thought we didn’t do a good enough job putting pressure on the ball necessarily against Morehead,” Oats said Thursday. “I think we’ve got to do a better job of ball pressure, making teams uncomfortable with how they want to run their offense. We’ve got to do a better job contesting threes, making sure we’re there. Our pick-and-roll defense wasn’t quite where we needed it to be, and we’re still trying to figure that out. 

“We don’t have Charles (Bediako) at the rim, so we have to play a little differently. And then just no matter what the score is, are we playing with the same effort as when it was tied? I thought we came out great, built up a lead, hit some shots. Can we continue to play with the same effort that we were when it was 0-0 out of the gate?”

Oats continued, “And then our rebounding was terrible in the first half on Monday, to be honest with you. We were down four on the glass at the half. Now, in the second half, we ended up winning the second half by 15. Overall, we out-rebounded Morehead by 11, but we’re going to have to do a way better job defensive rebounding and offensive rebounding, all of it in the first half, against a tough, physical team like Indiana State.”

Friday will mark the first-ever meeting between Alabama and Indiana State, which is fresh off a 90-60 win over Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Schertz is in his third season as coach after guiding the Sycamores to a 23-13 record with a 13-7 mark in Missouri Valley Conference action last season – a 12-win improvement overall and the most for ISU since 2013-14.

Prior to the season, Indiana State placed three on the Missouri Valley preseason All-Conference team, as sophomore center Robbie Avila (6-foot-10, 240 pounds) and junior guard Julian Larry (6-foot-3, 185 pounds) were both named to the conference’s second team. Transfer Isaiah Swope, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound guard earned third-team honors.

Oats is well aware of their abilities and highlighted all three.

“Avila, obviously, just because he’s got pick-and-pop capability,” Oats said. “Our bigs are going to have to get out and play on the perimeter. If you don’t play him, he’s going to make you pay. He doesn’t look like all the part. He’s a little bigger, not super athletic. He is really skilled, like as skilled a big as maybe we’re going to see all year. And he’s got real size at 6-10. He scares me.

“Julian Larry, Isaiah Swope, they’re both super talented perimeter players. I think their whole perimeter group scares me because of how well they shoot it and how well they make decisions. If you make a mistake guarding their splits – they run a lot of similar actions to us. They run an NBA offense.”

Oats offers injury update on Tide freshman

Alabama freshman guard Kris Parker was the only scholarship player who did not participate in the Tide’s season-opening win over Morehead State on Monday night. Dealing with an injury sustained in the final days of the preseason, Parker watched from the bench in street clothes. On Friday, Oats offered a positive update on the newcomer ahead of game No. 2.

“He practiced today, so it’ll be a game-day decision,” Oats said. “But he’s better. He had an eye abrasion, so I think he’s fine. It was just super scratched, and with sweat, he couldn’t really see. You kind of need to be able to see to play basketball. I thought he was good today, though.”

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