Why Nate Oats and Alabama basketball are ‘concerned’ facing clone Kentucky offense

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The odds are stacked for Alabama basketball this weekend.

No. 9 Kentucky leads the series with the Crimson Tide, 114-40. After Tuesday, the fifth-ranked team in the country enters a daunting Rupp Arena coming off what Nate Oats called a “disappointing” loss to No. 21 Ole Miss.

Granted, Alabama (14-3) is 3-1 in its last four outings against UK (14-3), while in Coleman Coliseum, the Tide hasn’t always traveled well against the eight-time national champions.

Jan 14, 2025; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama head coach Nate Oats expresses his displeasure with the officials after a foul was not called at Coleman Coliseum. Ole Miss defeated Alabama 74-64. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News

Battling a 10-57 record on the road against Kentucky (14-3), UA looks to get back in the win column. Here are three things to know.

Nate Oats says Crimson Tide ‘should be concerned’ about offense

Alabama is no longer the country’s sole leader in scoring offense, now sharing No. 1 in the nation with Iowa.

The Crimson Tide went from averaging 91.1 points per game to 89.5 following Tuesday, which saw UA’s lowest scoring performance since losing to San Diego State in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Kentucky sits at No. 3 in the country with an average 88.7 points per game.

From BYU to Lexington, Oats’ analytics-driven system has been the model for Mark Pope’s offensive philosophy. As Alabama’s three-point struggles continue, threes are falling for the Cats, spreading the floor to shoot 36%, while Kentucky’s perimeter defense holds opponents to just 28.1%. That stat ranks 11th in the country and fifth in the SEC.

When asked about the state of Alabama’s offense as the schedule gets more grueling down the stretch, Oats was blunt.

“I think we should all be pretty concerned, to be honest with you,” Oats said.

Kentucky fields five double-digit scorers in starters Otega Oweh, Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson and Andrew Carr. Koby Brea is coming off the bench to average 11.3 points per game and serves as the team’s top…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-nate-oats-alabama-basketball-090417439.html

Author : The Tuscaloosa News

Publish date : 2025-01-16 09:04:00

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