Nate Oats will have an opportunity to add to his growing Alabama legacy this weekend. With a victory over No. 1 Auburn on Saturday, the head coach can pass Wimp Sanderson for most wins over Associated Press top 25 opponents in program history.
Oats tied Sanderson’s mark of 25 ranked wins at Alabama with a victory over then-No. 14 Mississippi State last month. That was the Crimson Tide’s seventh-ranked win this season, tying another program record for most in a single campaign set by Oats’ 2022-23 team.
Currently in his sixth season with the Tide, Oats has reached 25 ranked wins in half the time it took Sanderson to compile the mark. He’s also done it in style. Eleven of Oats' ranked wins at Alabama have come against top-10 teams. Six have come against teams ranked in the top five. Two have come against No. 1 ranked teams.
As Oats and No. 2 Alabama look to make history against top-ranked Auburn on Saturday, here’s a look back at each of the coach’s 25 ranked victories with the Tide.
1 — Alabama 84, No. 4 Auburn 64 (Jan. 15, 2020)
Location: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Game recap: Oats’ run of ranked wins at Alabama began against the Tide’s biggest rival. Auburn entered the matchup with a perfect 15-0 record but was blown out of Coleman Coliseum, Kira Lewis Jr. put up a game-high 25 points for Alabama.
“We've been needing this signature win,” Oats said after the game. “We were close a few times. If we're going to make a run and try to play in the NCAA Tournament, you've got to get these signature wins. It's good to get that monkey off our back.”
Alabama had a bit of extra motivation heading into the matchup, as Auburn forward Anfernee McLemore said that Coleman Coliseum was one of his favorite places to play, stating “I like seeing all the fans disappointed when we win.”
McLemore finished the game with 6 points on 2 of 8 shooting while taking abuse from the Tide faithful all night.
