Sometimes, the story of a basketball game is as simple as the winning team being just too good for the loser to overcome. That is the story of this year's Elite Eight for Alabama Basketball. Duke was just too much better.
On Saturday night, Alabama basketball fans were crushed for three reasons, one based upon a false conclusion. The two not-faulty reasons are that Nate Oats has quickly elevated every season's expectations to NCAA Tournament success, and this season ended with a whiplash-like crash from one of Bama's greatest wins, followed by being dominated in a loss.
The other reason is a minority opinion that warrants little discussion. It is that the Nate Oats system can win many games, but is not good enough to win six NCAA Tournament games and a National Championship. Suffice it to say that opinion is hogwash.
Alabama Basketball going forward with a new floor
Alabama Basketball can claim that the program's new floor is the Crimson Tide reaching the Elite Eight. It is a bold claim with just two seasons of proof. A legitimate claim will require another Elite Eight berth next season. Alabama is not the only SEC team that might be able to make the same claim by next season. But in the powerhouse college basketball conference, the SEC has become, Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, and Florida are the big dogs. Alabama leads the SEC in total wins (84) over the last three seasons. The Crimson Tide has done that despite having the No. 1 Strength of Schedule (SOS) in the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Nate Oats has an abundance of optimism. An already stated goal for next season is a Big Dance 1-seed. Roster building is going on in earnest. After the loss to Duke, Oats said, "We've put ourselves up there with everybody else. And we're going to continue to do that year in and year out and keep knocking on the door. We'll get back to the Final Four and win one here soon."
Naysayers beware - there is no good reason to doubt him. The roster will be rebuilt with the goal of becoming longer, and mentally and physically tougher. Top players understand the value of playing in Nate Oats' system. It is a great time to be an Alabama Crimson Tide basketball fan.