Even before the March Madness draw, Nate Oats had his work cut out after a miserable defeat in the SEC. The Florida Gators ran rout and handed an embarrassing 104-82 loss to Crimson Tide. The Alabama head coach pointed out exactly where his team was lacking in the SEC. But will it be enough to win the ultimate crown that too when they cross paths with Cooper Flagg’s Blue Devils?
The 50-year-old coach laid out his minimum expectations from the team after Selection Sunday. “Anything short of a Final Four would be a disappointment in my opinion. That’s what the expectation is. I know we’re a 2-seed, so the Elite Eight is supposed to be where it ends. If we don’t play well, play a lot a lot better than we did in the second half yesterday, we don’t make it that far.” Oats wants his team to take the challenge and make it all the way to the Final Four. But there is a hiccup in the process.
Duke’s runs coincide with their run to the Final Four. If both teams continue to amass wins, they will face each other in the Elite Eight. So, if we believe Oats’ words, then they will beat Cooper Flagg and co when they face them. Previously, too, the Bama HC called out ACC teams and their fixture run being easy in comparison to SEC.
Nate Oats: “Anything short of a Final Four would be a disappointment in my opinion”
— Nick Kelly (@_NickKelly) March 16, 2025
The Crimson Tide’s final seven games were all against ranked opponents. All but two were top-15 games and four were inside the top five. “We’ve had more top 25 wins in our last 7 games than any ACC school did the entire season,” said Oats. He is not wrong about the assessment. Duke had two wins against ranked opponents, and both came during nonconference play. Jon Scheyer‘s team beat Arizona and Auburn around the Holidays before facing 23 consecutive unranked teams. But can the Alabama HC truly stop the Blue Devils?
Nate Oats will hope to solve his defensive frailties against the juggernaut Cooper Flagg and Co.
The Crimson Tide reached its first Final Four in program history last season, but like this year, Alabama also fell to the Gators in the 2024 SEC Tournament and had a rough stretch at the end of the season. This obviously isn’t the ideal pattern to success, but now it’s all that Oats expects from his team. Overall, the team ranks in the top 10 nationally in offensive efficiency, averaging over 91.4 points per game.
Mark Sears has been their leading scorer, putting up 19 points per contest while managing a 40% FG. Clearly, Alabama doesn’t lack firepower offensively. It’s their defense that raises concerns that allow an average of 80.7 points per game. On the other hand, the Blue Devils boast an ORTG of 128.1 (2nd in the NCAA) and a DRTG of 90.0 (4th in the NCAA), per KenPom. Plus, Cooper Flagg leads the team in nearly every major statistical category: 604 points (18.9 PPG), 48% from the field, 4.7 made free throws per game, 240 rebounds, 131 assists, 40 blocks, and 49 steals — all while appearing in 32 of Duke’s 33 games.
On paper, it may sound easy that the Crimson Tide will reach the Final Four. But not just the Elite Eight potential threat with Duke. Any team can have a field day in a knockout tournament. That’s what makes March Madness truly remarkable.
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