Watch: Alabama HC Nate Oats stops by Yale locker room after James Jones' men upset Auburn 78-76
In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the No. 13 Yale Bulldogs, led by coach James Jones, beat No. 4 Auburn Tigers, 78-76. This unexpected outcome left the basketball universe in shock. After the game, the Alabama head coach Nate Oats was seen making a surprise visit to the Yale locker room.
Alabama, set to face Charleston, was warming up when Oats decided to visit Yale's locker room which was not far away from Alabama's. He went to congratulate his friend, James Jones, for Yale's victory over Auburn.
Auburn entered the game with favorable odds, whereas, Yale entered with only a 9.8% chance to win. Auburn was led by Johni Broome who secured 24 points and 13 rebounds, followed by 17 and 13 points from Denver Jones and Jaylin Williams respectively.
On the other hand, Yale's John Poulakidas led them by scoring 28 points, two rebounds and two assists. He was supported by August Mahoney and Danny Wolf, who made 14 and 13 points, respectively to help Yale overcome Auburn.
Auburn boasted a +2000 odds to win the tournament as compared to Yale's +80000, the reason why the Bulldog's victory came as such a surprise. Yale proved everyone wrong in the closely contested matchup.
Yale will now meet No. 5 San Diego in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Should they win, they will advance to the Sweet 16 to fight against the winner of No. 1 UConn versus No. 9 Northwestern.
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What happened in Nate Oats' Alabama after his locker room visit?
After the surprise visit to Yale's locker room, Nate Oats' No. 4 Alabama thrashed the No. 13 Charleston Cougars, 109-96 in a high-scoring West region game.
Alabama was led by Mark Sears who scored 30 points, four rebounds and five assists in the game. His efforts were supported by 17 and 13 points from Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and Aaron Estrada, respectively. On the other hand, the highest scorer for Charleston was Ben Burnham who scored 19 points.
Alabama will now face the winner of Saint Mary's and Grand Canyon in their second-round matchup.
Also Read: Samford HC Bucky McMillan expresses disappointment over controversial foul call in final seconds against Kansas
How far do you think will Yale go in this NCAA Tournament? Let us know in the comments section.