TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — When Nate Oats draws a T, Alabama basketball gets a W. It’s as simple as that.
The first-year head coach is now 6-0 when getting called for a technical foul. His latest outburst helped the Crimson Tide secure a critical 90-86 victory over South Carolina in a must-win matchup Saturday night.
Trailing 15-6 midway through the first half, Alabama turned the ball over on an errant pass from Javian Davis which led to a South Carolina fast break on the other end. Gamecocks guard A.J. Lawson raced down the court but was beaten by Crimson Tide guard James “Beetle” Bolden, who appeared to draw a charge.
However, Bolden was instead whistled for a blocking foul, sending Lawson to the line. The graduate transfer sat on the court, his hands on his head. Meanwhile, his head coach was fuming courtside. Oats went off at the referee, yelling “That’s a charge” adamantly after rewatching the play on the video board.
Oats was still worked up several moments after the incident and was eventually T’ed up following two free throws from Alabama forward Herbert Jones on the other end. He then had to be held back by assistant coach Bryan Hodgson as he continued to spout his displeasure toward the referees.
“I didn’t agree with the block/charge earlier, and I didn’t let it go,” Oats explained. “I was talking to Pat (Adams) about an official across the floor, and he heard me. So I shouldn't have done it. I apologized to him in the middle of the game, but I was a little perturbed. I thought that the block/charge call could have maybe gone another way."
The theatrics ignited a previously dormant Coleman Coliseum while also serving as a turning point for the Crimson Tide.
Jones drew a charge on the ensuing possession which led to a 3 from Jaden Shackelford on the other end. Back-to-back steals from Kira Lewis Jr. then cut the deficit to six points as Alabama eventually went on an 11-1 run to trim South Carolina’s lead to 21-19 with 9:21 remaining in the half.
“It actually woke me up a lot because Coach was taking up for us because he felt like the refs missed a couple of calls,” Lewis said. “So when the ref teched him up, I was kind of like ‘OK, Coach got a tech.’ Then he started barking at Coach like, ‘Be quiet.’ I was like, ‘If Coach is going to take up for me, then I feel like as players we should take up for him.”
Alabama did just that, shooting 56.5 percent in the second half while holding on to a lead over a tense final few minutes to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
Following the game, Oats was a bit surprised to learn it was only his sixth technical of the season. Earlier this season, he joked that he was usually good for one a year from his time back at Buffalo.
“They give them out like candy around here,” Oats said with a smile. “Look, I haven’t tried to get one yet. I was not trying to get one there. I was just a little upset with the way the calls were going… I was just trying to get us a couple calls, but I went overboard with it.”
Nevertheless, Oats said he appreciated the energy he got from his team following the incident, stating it served as a much-needed momentum swing in the game. With Alabama (16-13, 8-8 in the SEC) needing to go on a run to reach the NCAA Tournament, he’ll take anything he can spark he can get to keep his team rolling.
“Shoot, maybe if it’s really not going well, maybe I ought to get one now,” Oats said. “6-0. I do know we’re undefeated when I get them. I did know that, but for some reason I thought it was more. It’s good it’s only six because I don’t want to have too many more.”
Or does he?
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Andrew Bone, of BamaInsider.com, is a real estate broker in the state of Alabama.
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