Nate Oats shares his initial thoughts on Sweet 16 matchup with BYU

Alabama advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third straight year and four out of the last five after an 80-66 win over 7-seed Saint Mary’s in the Round of 32. The Crimson Tide, the No. 2 seed in the East Region, will next face 6-seed BYU on Thursday, March 27, in Newark.

The Cougars enter the Sweet 16 with a 26-9 record after defeating 3-seed Wisconsin, 91-89, in the second round. BYU is led by first-year head coach Kevin Young, who Alabama’s Nate Oats is familiar with, having been around him during Young’s last stint in the NBA.

“I’ve actually gotten to know Kevin pretty well,” Oats said on Sunday. “I’ve gone to the Suns training camp a couple times when Monty was the coach and he was the assistant there. And he’s great. I’ve kind of been interested to follow him as he got into college. He’s done a really good job there. I’ve watched him a little bit here and there.”

BYU had won nine straight games before losing to Houston in the Big 12 Tournament. Since, it has defeated VCU and Wisconsin to advance to its sixth Sweet 16 appearance and first since 2011. The Cougars are second in the Big 12 in offense, averaging 81.2 points per game. They lead the league in field goal percentage (48.3) and 3-pointers made (372).

BYU is led by junior forward Richie Saunders, who is averaging 16.3 points per contest while shooting 51.1 percent from the field and 43.1 percent from beyond the arc. Saunders recorded 25 points in the Cougars’ win over Wisconsin to advance to the second weekend.

After beating Robert Morris and Saint Mary’s in the first two rounds, Oats and Alabama will see a team that is “way more stylistically like us” in BYU. The Cougars are just five spots behind the Crimson Tide in offensive efficiency, averaging 124.1 points per 100 possessions, according to KenPom. While familiar, it can be just as challenging as an opposite style.

“I don’t know that I want to say it’s refreshing to go against somebody that plays like us because I think we’re really tough to guard, and we’ve led the country in scoring the last two years,” Oats said. “I don’t think anybody is saying it’s refreshing to play Alabama, whoever is running the defense for the other team. 

“I mean, in a way, maybe it’s not such a smash-mouth game like playing football out there like some of these teams, but they’re not easy to cover. He’s running great sets. They’ve got shooters all over the place. They’re good.

“We’re going to have to really lock in and coaches are going to have to really do a good job getting our guys ready and then our guys are going to have to execute the plan is whatever we decide to put in and we’re going to have to make adjustments to it because I’m sure he’ll make adjustments.”

Alabama will be playing in the Sweet 16 for the 12th time in school history this week. It’s the second time the Tide has reached back-to-back-to-back Sweet 16s, however, the 1985-87 run saw its final appearance vacated by the NCAA. This matchup with BYU is scheduled to take place on Thursday at 6:09 p.m. CT (CBS) at Newark’s Prudential Center.

Alabama will arrive in New Jersey on Monday, choosing to fly there straight from Cleveland.

“I’m looking forward to playing in the Sweet 16,” Oats said. “It’s great. It’s the first time in school history we’ve been to three straight Sweet 16s. I would not use the word “refreshing” to play against an offense like BYU has. That’s probably not the correct word.”

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