When Nate Oats put Mark Sears on the second-half bench in the LSU, the bold move was a message to the entire Alabama basketball team. If its star player can be benched for poor defensive play, any Alabama player can.
Based on practice reports, a visibly disappointed Sears from Saturday was a hard-working, enthusiastic defender in subsequent practice sessions. It appears Sears understood the message sent by Nate Oats and that his teammates did as well.
Nate Oats is coaching not just for a pair of SEC championships. He is coaching for a return to the NCAA Tournament Final Four; with a different result than last season. The Crimson Tide played one of its best games against UConn and lost by 14 points. Alabama made threes at 47.8% and was 81.8% at the foul line while committing just eight turnovers. The Huskies were better. Dan Hurley's team was more than 5% better than Alabama in total field goal percentage. They out-rebounded Alabama and made just four turnovers.
There is no question that UConn was college basketball's best team last season. Alabama was very good, but not good enough. There is a good reason why Alabama Basketball came up short. It is defense and Nate Oats knows he can't let that weakness cripple the Crimson Tide again.
Alabama Basketball Defense
Using Ken Pomeroy's Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Rating (DRtg), the Crimson Tide was No. 111 among Division 1 teams last season. After 20 games this season, Alabama is No. 43 and history shows No. 43 is not good enough to become college basketball's National Champion.
Using Pomeroy's data the last 15 NCAA Tournament Champions have averaged a DRtg of No. 10 among all D1 teams. Only three of the 15 national champions have had defensive ratings worse than No. 15. Baylor won it all in 2021 at No. 22. Last season UConn was No. 4, along with an Offensive Efficiency Rating of No. 1. No. 2 in that offensive stat last season was the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Alabama has a road test Wednesday night against a defensively strong Mississippi State team. The Bulldogs are a good, but great offensive team. If Nate Oats' bold move of sitting Mark Sears works, Alabama's defense will put the clamps on the Bulldogs.