“It was pretty simple. We’re not gonna be what they tell us to be, we’re gonna prove them wrong” said Alabama Crimson’s Chris Youngblood recently. His comments were about a video that team head coach Nate Oats reportedly played for the team before the recent game against the Saint Mary’s Gaels. That one-minute “lowlight tape,” as the players called it, was a compilation of college basketball analysts doubting Alabama’s mettle after their closer-than-expected 90-81 win over No. 15 seed Robert Morris. Even the word ‘soft’ was thrown out about the franchise. Well, showing the video had the desired effect, as the players started taking things ‘personally’.

Right from the game’s early stage, it was apparent that the matchup was not going to be a close one. The teams went back and forth early in the first half. Saint Mary’s only trailed by three points after Mitchell Saxen made a layup in the first-half’s final 7-and-a-half minutes. However, that would be the closest the game would get. The Crimson Tide then went on a 25-8 run and closed out the first half up 42-29. While the Gaels tried to fight back going into the second half, Alabama eventually won by an 80-66 score. During the post-game Q&A session, the Alabama Crimson Tide players did not even try to hide that the comments by the ‘national folks’ fueled their recent performance.

“That was an insult. And so, you know, before the game, Oats showed us a 1 minute lowlight tape of all the big time announcers basically saying we’re soft in nice words,” Mark Sears revealed. “So, we all took that personal, and we’re going to keep that in mindset rolling throughout March”.

Grant Nelson was also asked about the video. The player replied that after playing against and beating the most physical teams in the country, the recent win also helped to prove where his squad currently stands. Along with his other remarks, Nelson added

Nelson’s point is spot-on—beating one of the nation’s most physical teams, a Saint Mary’s squad ranked No. 5 in scoring defense at 61.3 points allowed per game, wasn’t just a win; it was a statement. Alabama held the Gaels to 34.8% from the field and a measly 21.4% from three, while shooting 51.8% overall and 41.2% from deep themselves. Soft? Hardly. Both Mark Sears and Grant Nelson scored 12 points each. This made them amongst the 6 Alabama players who scored in the double-digits. The team, as a whole, displayed a very balanced offensive attack throughout the game. The credit for the win went to high-flying alley-oops, a steady attack, and a surprising edge on the boards—outrebounding Saint Mary’s 41-36 despite the Gaels’ reputation for glass dominance.

“(St. Mary’s) is a tough team. We knew they were tough. We got up on them 13 at the half. We knew they weren’t going to go away. They came out in the second half and were scoring on us a little too much. After they made a little run there, I thought our guys answered,” said Oats.

But Nate Oats isn’t resting on laurels. He knows that if he wants to shut doubters for once and all, he would have to keep winning. After all, Jay Bilas had predicted that Alabama wouldn’t likely make it to the final four. That’s why consistency is a catch.

Nate Oats does not consider the upcoming BYU matchup as ‘refreshing’ after locking ‘Sweet 16’ seed

With this win, Alabama has now secured a place in the Sweet 16—its third straight, a program first, and fourth in five years under Oats. Now, only one more win remains for the Crimson Tide to reach the Elite Eight for the 2 consecutive time, and 3 time overall. The BYU Cougars men’s basketball would certainly provide a challenge to Nate Oats- a team that mirrors Alabama’s fast-paced, shooter-heavy style. And while many think that at some point, it would be “refreshing: too, Oats doesn’t.

“I don’t know that I want to say it’s refreshing to go against somebody that plays like us because I think we’re really tough to guard, and we’ve led the country in scoring the last two years,” said Nate Oats. “I don’t think anybody is saying it’s refreshing to play Alabama, whoever is running the defense for the other team. I mean, in a way, maybe it’s not such a smash mouth game like playing football out there like some of these teams, but they’re not easy to cover. He’s running great sets. They’ve got shooters all over the place. They’re good.”

Well, some commentators should again call Alabama ‘soft’ before the upcoming game. That way, the Crimson Tide might once again be energized on the same level as they were against Saint Mary’s Gaels.