Ad Disclosure
Nate Oats says Alabama still controls its own destiny after loss to Auburn
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Nate Oats knows Alabama missed a chance to send a major statement to the SEC and college basketball world on Saturday when No. 1 Auburn came to Tuscaloosa. Instead of a marquee win, the Crimson Tide suffered a 94-85 loss, snapping a 7-game winning streak for Alabama.
Not only does it mean Auburn will maintain the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll, but the Tigers now also hold sole possession of the SEC standings with a 1-game lead over the Tide. The potential silver lining for Oats’s squad? They can still control their own destiny in the regular season.
After the game, Oats referenced Alabama’s letdown last season after falling at home to Tennessee. He wants to see a better response from his leaders this season with 6 games left to play and a shot to still tie for first at the very least:
“We are in full control of our destiny to at least get a tie in the league moving forward. We’ll see what type of maturity and leadership we have,” said Oats.
RELATED: Now is a great time to get your feet wet in DFS action before March Madness rolls around! User our Underdog Fantasy review to find the best ways to get started.
The potential problem? Saturday’s game was the first of 7 straight against ranked opponents to finish the year for Alabama. That stretch includes 5 top-15 opponents with 4 of those games against teams currently ranked inside the top 5 on the AP Poll.
Oats described it as “the hardest seven-game stretch of anyone in the country” after losing to Auburn. The rematch vs. the Tigers comes on March 8 to end the regular season, but Alabama must navigate the other portion of the schedule for that game to matter in the final standings.
Alabama must regroup quickly for a midweek trip to face No. 21 Mizzou who is coming off a dominant road win over Georgia. The Tide then return home to face Kentucky next Saturday night.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
