USATSI
Nate Oats has in short order turned Alabama into a consistent winner that’s committed to a style that makes the Crimson Tide a dangerous matchup for anybody.
They play fast. They shoot 3-pointers. They guard.
They’re really good.
Houston became the latest program to see it up close Saturday. That’s when Alabama rallied from a 15-point deficit in the second half to record a 71-65 victory inside the Fertitta Center that qualifies as a monster Quadrant-1 win on the road.
“This is one of those character-wins that shows that our guys are going to keep fighting no matter what the score is,” Oats said. “We could have easily given up [when we were] down 15. The start of the second half wasn’t great. [But] we made some changes with the bench guys, hung in there, kept clawing away at the lead, [and we were] finally able to take the lead. And then we pulled away from them.”
The most remarkable aspect of Alabama’s improbable win was how the Crimson Tide recorded it without getting a single made-basket from their leading scorer, Brandon Miller. The five-star freshman took eight shots and missed all eight of them. Regardless, Alabama was able to secure a second victory in a 14-day span over a team ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. Two Sundays ago, Alabama beat then-No. 1 North Carolina in four overtimes.
“Not sure how many teams get the chance to play two No. 1 teams in non-conference, let alone beat them,” Oats said. “But I think that it shows where we’ve gotten this program to [and] that we can play with anyone in the country, at this point.”
Alabama is up to No. 4 in Sunday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings — one spot behind the only team that’s topped the Crimson Tide this season, No. 3 UConn. Purdue replaces Houston as the new No. 1 in the Top 25 And 1. Virginia is now No. 2. Houston is now No. 5.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
IN: Xavier, West Virginia, Miami
OUT: Auburn, San Diego State, Creighton
