“I’m going to hold them a little more accountable”: Nate Oats remembers Ole Miss loss despite defeating top-10 team
No. 4-ranked Alabama coach Nate Oats remained focused fresh off an impressive road win against No. 8-ranked Kentucky on Jan. 18. Oats wants to ensure Alabama avoids another misstep like the recent home loss to Ole Miss on Jan. 14. Despite the high of taking down Kentucky, the sting of the defeat still lingered for Oats, who was determined to ensure Alabama didn’t falter again.
Nate Oats was late to his Monday press conference due to an extended practice session. He explained the delay stemmed from his efforts to reinforce a critical message of accountability following the Ole Miss loss.
“Sorry about the delay,” Oats said. “Practice went a little long. We’ve got to make sure we don’t have a repeat of last week. So, we had to do it over again until we got it right."
"It took a few extra drills and a few extra minutes. I told them last week that I’m going to hold them more accountable, and they’re seeing I’m serious about it.”
The Ole Miss loss was Alabama’s worst game of the season. Scoring just 64 points, a season-low was uncharacteristic for Nate Oats’ typically high-scoring team. Alabama had surpassed 80 points in all but three games this season, and their previous lowest total was 72 against McNeese State.
“Like I told the whole team, you’ve got to earn the right to play well,” Oats said. “Are you spending enough time in the gym outside of practice? Or are we having to beg you to get into the gym? Some of these guys have to put in the work.”
Turnovers were a significant issue, with Alabama committing 21 as Ole Miss disrupted their rhythm. After the game, Oats didn’t shy away from questioning his team’s preparation and called for greater commitment.
Nate Oats assesses Alabama's defensive effort in win over Vanderbilt
Despite securing a victory on Jan. 21, Alabama coach Nate Oats expressed frustration with Alabama's defensive performance in the second half of their game against Vanderbilt. Alabama led 48-31 at halftime but struggled to maintain their defensive intensity in the second half.
“You give it like an A- in the first half, and then they failed the second half,” Oats said. “So if you average out a failing grade and an A-, you come up with a C, I guess."
"I was disgusted with the second-half defense, to be honest with you. First 20 minutes, I thought were great, but then it jumped up to 1.3 points per possession in the second half, and that’s terrible.”
The Crimson Tide built their lead back to as many as 22 points in the second half, but Vanderbilt continued to chip away. The Commodores hit 10 of 19 from beyond the arc in the second half, narrowing Alabama’s lead to just eight points with under three minutes to play.
“Some of our guys are going to have to pick up their defense for this team to be at the level we want it to be,” Oats said. “The effort we had in the second half is not going to win us any championships this year.”
While Nate Oats praised the bench players and the team’s offensive performance, marking their sixth 100-point game of the season, he stressed the need for defensive improvement.