Nate Oats addresses importance of finishing regular season with win, impact on postseason

Alabama could have lost five of their final seven to end the regular season this weekend. Instead, the Crimson Tide got the biggest win of their year so far going into the SEC Tournament and then the NCAA Tournament.

Following the 93-91 overtime outcome at No. 1 Auburn on Saturday, Nate Oats explained what a win it was for ‘Bama coming out of conference play and into the postseason. He said it represents the team that they have this season for them to respond that way in a top-ten, rivalry matchup on the road.

“I know last year we struggled a little bit, and the other year we had the injuries two years before that. But the other years, we finished pretty well. We’ve won two SEC Tournament Championships. So, I think it depends on the group you’ve got, to be honest with you,” said Oats.

For the second straight season, Alabama was not ending the regular season well. Both years ended with losing skids as they lost three of five last year, before losing four of six by dropping their quarterfinal in the conference tournament, and lost four of six this year in a very difficult stretch of ranked opponents.

Now, with this win as momentum coming out of their season finale, the Tide are focusing on mudita, which is the joy from the happiness of others. They’ve enjoyed being together as a team and want to continue on with one another – much like last year’s team did all the way to the program’s first-ever berth in the Final Four.

“Like, if you have guys that are still playing for each other, together want to keep playing together? I feel like this group is that way,” said Oats. “We challenged these guys. We had Coach Murphy from softball come speak to our guys last year and kind of used the term ‘mudita’. We’ve tried to adopt it again. Do we have the most mudita? Are they pulling for each other? Do they want each other to do well?”

“This group wants to keep playing with each other. They like it. You know, last year, we didn’t finish the regular season or even the SEC Tournament well but we got them together to make a Final Four run,” said Oats. “I think this group, this group is better overall. You know, hopefully, we’ve got some confidence going into the SEC Tournament, play better there in Nashville than that last group did. But we found a way to still get it together and make a run.”

Alabama got the boost they needed with a buzzer-beating overtime win in The Jungle. The Tide are now hoping that’ll be the start of a second consecutive tournament run through March.

“Hopefully, we can get this group together a week earlier than last year’s group got it together,” Oats said. “We already look like we’ve got a pretty good win here to close the regular season so I think they’re headed in the right direction.”

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