Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats has a regret about his team's play in their Final Four game against UConn. The Crimson Tide got out of their usual offense, which doomed the team in Oats' eyes. Alabama only attempted 23 three-pointers in the game, which is not typical for the team.
“We knew they were going to try to run us off, be physical,” Oats said, per ESPN. “Yeah, 23 is not ideal. We'd rather be pushing more like mid-30s on 3s. But they were obviously going to try to take us off the line. When they took us off the line, we drove it in. They did a better job forcing us to take more non-rim 2s than we probably have all year. … Almost a third of our shots ended up being non-rim 2s. That's not how we typically play.”
Alabama's run ends
Alabama basketball bowed to UConn in a Final Four game, 86-72, on Saturday. The Crimson Tide kept the game much closer than many had anticipated, as the Huskies had rolled over the first four teams they played in March Madness.
Alabama's hot three-point shooting was a key reason for that close game. The Crimson Tide came out of the gate launching threes as usual, but as the second half began the team seemed to turn the opposite direction. UConn's experience seemed to get the best of Alabama, who was in its first Final Four in school history.
“We have the experience from last year,” UConn forward Alex Karaban said, per ESPN. “Although we dominated teams last year, we still had the experience of playing against 75,000 people, and really the venue and the pressure that brings with the Final Four. The experience never really rattled us. We knew we just had to stay together and respond.”
Alabama basketball was still able to make about 48 percent of its three-point attempts in the game. The Crimson Tide struggled on the glass, which hurt its ability to keep possessions away from UConn. The Huskies out rebounded Alabama in the game, 38-31. The Huskies also shot 50 percent from the field, to Alabama's 45 percent.
The Crimson Tide have a lot to build from, as the school has established itself as one of the best college basketball programs in the SEC. Alabama made it farther than it ever has in the NCAA tournament, and Oats made it to a Final Four for the first time in his coaching tenure. Oats closed out his fifth season at the school, and has taken the program to four consecutive tournaments.
UConn basketball now moves on to face Purdue in the national championship on Monday. The Huskies are trying to be the first school to win back-to-back titles since Florida did it more than 15 years ago. The national championship game is at 9:20 Eastern Monday.
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