Happy Thursday, everyone. Alabama basketball enjoys the second day of their double bye today before facing off against either Ole Miss or Georgia tomorrow evening. Nate Oats spoke to media ahead of the matchup.
“The fact that we’re 0-1 against Texas and 0-1 against Georgia, you can look at it two ways,” Oats said during Wednesday’s press conference before the Ole Miss-Texas game. “One is, shoot, we lost to both of these teams. Are they a better team than you? They’re good teams. There’s no doubt that both of those
teams have very good rosters, very good coaches that play hard.
“So in one regard, would you like to play a team that you dominated? Well, it’s the SEC. We’re a 2-seed. You’re going to play a seven or 10, most likely. You could end up playing a 15. But most likely you’re playing a seven or 10. The 7-seed and the 10-seed in the SEC are both NCAA tournament teams. So you’re going to play a good team.”
10-seed Texas fell to the 15-seed Rebels last night. Alabama will more than likely be facing a rematch against the Georgia squad that took them to the woodshed just last week. The Texas loss puts them squarely on the bubble, and perhaps opens a door for Auburn to squeak in as the first 16-loss at large selection in tournament history. This year’s bubble is considered historically bad, yet people still want to talk about expanding the field from 68.
Caleb Holt chose Arizona over Alabama this week, leading to some conversation about Alabama’s ability to compete financially with some of the schools that prioritize basketball first. Nate seems comfortable with Alabama’s pocketbooks.
How comfortable is he with what Alabama men’s basketball has to work to essentially compensate players?
“First and foremost, I firmly believe we’re going to get the right players for our program,” Oats said. “We want players who come here for reasons that don’t have money at the top. I think when you take players in that money is the No. 1 thing, you end up with problems. Having said that, we’ve got to be fair. We’ve got to be in the market. We’ve got to be competitive. I think right now, I’ve had conversations with our administration, we’re going to be competitive. They’re doing a very good job working with our donors, business owners, the whole thing of how it needs to look now.”
Kalen DeBoer also spoke yesterday as spring practice rolls on. It sounds like positional versatility was prioritized on the defensive front.
DeBoer also mentioned a few newcomers who could potentially play the bandit (defensive end), among other positions.
“Des (Umeozulu) coming in, I know I’m going to miss some guys,” DeBoer said. “DT, Devan (Thompkins) being able to play inside and outside, so it isn’t always just wolf, bandit. Those guys have body types and skill sets that are going to allow our defensive staff to have fun, but put them in positions to go cut it loose and get after people.”
Umeozulu transferred in from South Carolina, where he played three seasons as an edge for the Gamecocks. Thompkins was a starting defensive tackle for Southern Cal last season.
He also mentions the possibility of Yhonzae Pierre or Justin Hill playing Bandit so that the two of them can be on the field together, which is interesting. There is plenty of talent up front this year.
Kalen likes what he has seen from his offensive line thus far.
“Guys are hungry,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said Tuesday. “Guys come in, they’re wide-eyed, ready to learn. It creates competition. That’s what you want across your team, but especially in that room. And they really made a lot of improvements in the strength, and really excited about — you want to be excited about every guy, but excited about some certain guys in particular. And now, you just got to see that translate onto the football field.”
The development and cohesion remains in early stages. DeBoer said there’s some “thinking” going on.
“They’re trying to get used to just what their job is, much less trying to get used to playing with the guy next to them and hearing those calls when the bullets are really flying,” DeBoer said. “Walk-throughs are one thing. In the meeting room is another. But now you get on the football field. So, there’s a learning curve that these guys will go through.”
Last, Ryan Coleman-Williams has been a hot topic this offseason. Can he bounce back to reach his immense potential in 2026?
During Tuesday’s segment of the “Paul Finebaum Show,” ESPN analyst Adam Rittenberg detailed how Williams is perceived within the Alabama setup ahead of a pivotal 2026 season.
“There’s still a lot of talent in that program. We forgot about Ryan Williams,” Rittenberg said. “I remember talking to Ryan before the Rose Bowl about his season that certainly didn’t go as planned after his incredible freshman year. He has decided to stick it out and he has learned a lot about himself.
“His teammates are really supportive of all that he’s gone through. Got to campus at 17-years old, became a national superstar overnight. Had that incredible play against Georgia and it’s been rocky since, especially last season with the dropped passes. There’s hope that he’ll take a step forward this season. Still has the ability to make an impact in 2026.”
Needless to say, a breakout season from him would be huge.
That’s about it for now. Have a great day.
Roll Tide.
