By Adeniyi Precious 
After Alabama basketball’s unexpected loss to Ole Miss, head coach Nate Oats turned to the success of Alabama football’s Nick Saban for guidance. Oats used Saban’s approach to bouncing back from early-season losses as a lesson for his players. He reminded them that even Saban’s championship teams suffered early losses but came back focused, often not losing again for the rest of the season. The defeat to Ole Miss was Alabama’s first SEC loss this year and their first since November, ending a strong eight-game win streak.
Oats acknowledged the team might have overlooked Ole Miss and wasn’t as intense as they needed to be, especially after a long stretch of wins. He hopes this loss serves as a wakeup call, despite the squad’s experience with veteran players. After talking with team leaders like Mark Sears and Grant Nelson, Oats expects Alabama to come out stronger against Kentucky. The team has no time to dwell on the loss as they face Kentucky in a high-stakes game on the road at Rupp Arena.
Oats is determined to ensure the team is more focused and prepared moving forward. With a new resolve, Alabama aims to regroup and stay competitive in the SEC standings.