Nate Oats didn’t schedule Seton Hall by accident, and he didn’t do it because the matchup looked convenient. Alabama’s coach wanted a fight.
Friday night’s game against the Pirates gives No. 18 Alabama its toughest early-season test, and Oats sees value in that. Seton Hall is 3-0, has a coach Oats clearly respects in Shaheen Holloway, and brings the kind of physical, defensive-minded style Alabama has already had trouble with in the past.
“My whole deal in the non-conference is trying to make us the best team we can be, not necessarily find the teams that you can beat the easiest or best,” Oats said Thursday. “So we’ve struggled against some programs that are physical, tough, defensive-minded, and I think Shaheen does as good a job as anybody in the country at putting a team on the floor that’s tough, physical, going to guard you, going to make you earn everything you can.”
That was enough for Alabama’s scheduling process to move quickly once director of scouting and analytics Adam Bauman raised the possibility. Oats said it was a “for sure” decision.
There’s also a personal piece to it. Oats grew up watching Big East basketball, including a Seton Hall program that reached the Final Four in 1989 and followed that with Sweet 16 runs in 1991 and 1992.
For Oats, though, the bigger issue is what Alabama can learn from the matchup. He pointed to the kind of opponents that gave the Crimson Tide problems last season.
“Can we handle a team that plays as tough and physical as Seton Hall? " Oats said. "Because we’re going to see it.
You know, you look at some of our losses last year: Texas, Tennessee, Florida. These teams that are tough, physical into you, like we got to do a better job against those teams.
I’m excited to see what we do against these guys, and can we learn? Will the freshmen handle the physicality, toughness that these guys are going to give us?”
That question matters for this Alabama team more than most. The Crimson Tide are 3-0, but they’re also working through a roster with a lot of new pieces, including six freshmen. And for the first time in Oats’ eight seasons in Tuscaloosa, Alabama opened with five straight home games at Coleman Coliseum, giving those newcomers extra time to settle in.
Even so, Oats made it clear this is a different kind of challenge than the first three games.
“We’ve stressed to our guys, this is a good team,” Oats said. “No disrespect to the first three teams we’ve played.
They’re good for their level in their league. This is a different deal though.
They play tougher, more physical. They’re more athletic.
We’re gonna have to play a lot better. Particularly the defensive rebounding part of it, we haven’t been great at. so it’s been a huge point of emphasis just dealing with the physicality.
Seton Hall’s a bit big, but I’m anxious to see what our guys do.”
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The early sign was encouraging, with Russell listed as probable in the SECs initial availability report for the upcoming game against Vanderbilt. Alabama does not need much drama at this stage of the season, but getting its young quarterback trending in the right direction is the kind of update that can steady a team with postseason goals still very much in reach. [Read more 🡒]