Alabama basketball rolled into Knoxville fresh off dismantling Mississippi State. Head coach Nate Oats then left Saturday hearing a message from Rick Barnes — following Alabama's thrilling 71-69 road win over Tennessee.
Barnes is annually one of the harder coaches to coach against. His multiple Southeastern Conference titles and Final Four credentials are proof. Yet Oats found ways to out-scheme him and get his players to show grit in one of the more hostile venues in the SEC.
Barnes, though, got close to Oats' ear after the final seconds wilted away inside the Thompson-Boiling Arena. So what did the losing head coach tell the Crimson Tide leader?
“After the way the game ended last year, you deserved that win,” Oats shared at the postgame podium.
Barnes referred to the 2025 March 1 battle that ended in climactic fashion: Jahmai Mashack hitting a deep three to hand the Volunteers a 79-76 win.
How Nate Oats, Alabama out-willed Rick Barnes, Tennessee
Barnes and the Vols shattered the hearts of Crimson Tide fans one year ago. But gained thanks and praise from Auburn as Tennessee's 2025 win handed the Tigers the SEC regular season title.
Now Labaron Philon Jr. fought off an injury to deliver his “Mashack” moment. Philon nailed the final winning basket with 22.8 seconds left — becoming his 13th point in a span of six minutes.
Labaron Philon TOOK OVER in @AlabamaMBB's dramatic comeback victory over Tennessee, dropping 13 of his 25 in the final six minutes of the game 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UOirurmldZ
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 1, 2026
Oats then got Alabama's defenders to throw their arms around and force bad shot selections on the Vols' side. Barnes watched his team misfire on three shot attempts that were within five feet of the hoop.
The Tide even needed to erase a large 13-point deficit to prevail. Oats witnessed Alabama execute the final winning moment one year after Mashack in the end. And the losing coach couldn't help but hand the winner his praise.
