Why Nate Oats said Alabama basketball has to be ‘concerned’ with LSU’s Cam Carter

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Nate Oats says Alabama basketball isn’t going to “overlook” Cam Carter and the Tigers.

A near seamless first half of defense fell apart for the No. 3 Crimson Tide in the last 20 minutes against Vanderbilt, and Oats expressed his disappointment in the second half again on Friday before LSU.

He knows for certain that Alabama (16-3, 5-1 SEC) can’t afford a repeat of it against Carter, who stands fourth in the league in scoring, on Saturday.

Alabama’s Nate Oats coaches against Kentucky Saturday at Rupp Arena. Jan. 18, 2025.

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Putting up 17.6 points per game, Carter is lethal from the perimeter. His 40.7% three-point percentage leads LSU (12-6, 1-4 SEC) and he’s shooting 44.4% from the floor. In nine games this season, the 6-foot-3 Donaldsonville, LA native has shot 50% or better beyond the arc.

“Cam Carter can really score it,” Oats said. “You’ve got to be concerned with him.”

Alabama went from allowing Vandy to shoot 1-for-7 from three-point range to 10-for-19 in the second half, which saw the Commodores shave the Crimson Tide’s 15-point lead down to single digits in the final minutes of action.

Alabama basketball has to be ‘concerned’ with Cam Carter in Coleman Coliseum

“We’ve had some issues with really good guards,” Oats said.

Granted, Alabama’s done well depending on who’s set to guard who and whether Crimson Tide jerseys came ready to play. Oats couldn’t forget the trouble the Crimson Tide has faced in players like Texas A&M’s Zhuric Phelps.

Although Phelps was limited to 1-for-6 on threes, he still put up a team-high 24 points. Oats recalled the 6-foot-4 senior’s best matchup being USF transfer Chris Youngblood.

“He’s not our quickest guard,” Oats said. “But he’s physical. You can’t really bully him at all.”

Phelps went 9-for-29 from the field for the Aggies.

When naming key defenders, Oats also listed freshman…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-nate-oats-said-alabama-193159800.html

Author : The Tuscaloosa News

Publish date : 2025-01-24 19:31:00

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