What's going on with Alabama basketball right now? For most of the campaign, this team has looked unbeatable, but back-to-back losses have been posted. The heartbreak to Tennessee last weekend was one thing, but Wednesday's loss to Florida was just tough to watch.
Plenty of people are not happy with head coach Nate Oats, but the defeat to the Gators isn't the only reason they're a bit ticked off. Earlier in the week, Oats revealed the Senior Night festivities wouldn't be held prior to tip-off because he didn't want his players to be distracted.
Seriously? That decision proved to be costly, as a good portion of the stands were empty after the final whistle and the Alabama seniors, including Mark Sears, didn't get the Tuscaloosa sendoff they deserved. Because of this, Oats is getting bashed online for his questionable decision.
Alabama fans are not happy with Nate Oats following the loss to Florida on Wednesday night
Had Alabama taken care of business, then Oats' decision wouldn't have mattered. If anything, it would have looked smart, as local supporters would have been even more excited and grateful for the departing players after posting a rivalry W over the Gators.
However, Oats' decision indeed backfired and things weren't as special as they should have been for Sears, Chris Youngblood, Cliff Omoruyi, Max Scharnowski and Grant Nelson. Because of this, social media as a whole is letting him have it:
1) Nate Oats, objectively horrible decision to do the Senior Night ceremony after the game
— Kelley Ford (@KFordRatings) March 6, 2025
2) Alabama fans, this is an embarrassing look
Photo from @PabloEscoburner https://t.co/ZdCqOPZ1sU pic.twitter.com/FQOxvvsNDK
Nate Oats absolutely ruined the Senior night for those guys. Poured into the program for 4 years and there are no fans in the coliseum to see senior night post loss.
— David Ward (@borntobarn) March 6, 2025
Prob just leave and go to Indiana. If it were me.
Just a reminder that Nate Oats decided to hold senior night activities after the game. I got a picture from a friend and it is not good! Remember all the talk about which coach is for his players!!
— MainManeMan✈️🤙🐢 (@MainManeMan11) March 6, 2025
Nate’s forgotten more about basketball than I’ll ever know, but electing to do your senior night ceremony after a game against a team that could very well win it all is truly mind-boggling.
— Scott Forester (@ScottForesterTV) March 6, 2025
Sears deserved better than an empty Coliseum for his senior day. Idk what Nate Oats was thinking doing it after the game. ✌🏾
— 🌙🧸 (@BillieEmani) March 6, 2025
There are plenty of more posts like those, except some of them feature expletives we didn't want to include in this article. Oats made a huge mistake by not having the senior night festivities ahead of the action. Why he decided to wait until after the final whistle is beyond us.
Moving forward, Alabama will now hope to close the regular season out strong, as a matchup with No. 1 Auburn is on the way this weekend. The Crimson Tide are at risk of losing three games in a row, which no one wants to see, especially with the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament being right around the corner.