March Madness is fast approaching, but Alabama is trending in the wrong direction at the worst possible time. The Crimson Tide suffered its fourth loss in six games on Wednesday night, falling to No. 5 Florida in a 99-94 defeat at Coleman Coliseum. Alabama head coach Nate Oats made his frustration clear during the game. He even got involved in a heated exchange with an official over a controversial call.
Alabama Struggles Late in the Season as Nate Oats Voices Frustration
A video posted by Hoop Herald on X captured the moment Oats lost his composure. The caption read, “Thoughts? Can a coach pressure a ref into getting later calls, or is calling a timeout to get all over a ref a waste of time, energy, and timeout?”
Thoughts?
Can a coach pressure a ref into getting later calls, or is calling a timeout to get all over a ref a waste of time, energy, and a timeout?
(Via @_NickKelly 🎥)
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) March 6, 2025
He could be seen yelling at an official in frustration as tensions ran high during the game. The Crimson Tide had entered a difficult stretch of games, and with the team faltering late in the season, emotions boiled over.
“We knew it was gonna be a tough stretch to close. I thought we’d do a little better, but I thought we’d at least play with more effort,” Oats said in the post-game interview. “I’m not panicked we’re losing; it’s more concerning how we lost.”
One of Alabama’s biggest strengths this season has been its ability to control the glass, but that advantage disappeared against Florida.
The Gators dominated the rebounding battle, finishing with a 50-35 edge. Even more concerning for Oats, Florida pulled down 16 offensive rebounds, leading to 19 second-chance points—one of the deciding factors in the game.
Alabama’s minus-15 rebounding margin was its worst of the season. It marked only the fourth time all year that the Crimson Tide had been outrebounded, and it was the first time they had been beaten on the boards by double digits.
Beyond the rebounding disparity, Oats expressed disappointment in his team’s overall effort. While rebounding statistics tell part of the story, he emphasized that the energy level and hustle plays—or lack thereof—were just as frustrating to watch.
“You know, getting outrebounded by 15 and not getting the 50/50 balls. I think Florida had more pop and more energy than us, and that’s concerning to me. We’re gonna have to challenge some of these guys and see if there were breakdowns. Some of these rebounds were breakdowns, some of them were guys leaking, not getting in the mix.”
“They’re gonna have to determine whether they want to make some tough plays or not. I didn’t think we made too many tough plays tonight.”
The Crimson Tide still has time to address these issues before postseason play begins, but the road ahead doesn’t get any easier. Up next, Alabama faces its toughest test yet—a road matchup against No. 1 Auburn at Neville Arena.
High Stakes Heading into Auburn Showdown
Alabama’s regular-season finale is not just about pride—it carries significant implications for SEC Tournament seeding and NCAA Tournament positioning. Despite their recent struggles, the Crimson Tide still has a chance to improve their standing before March Madness begins. However, they need a much stronger performance than what they showed against Florida.
“It doesn’t matter what your game plan is if you don’t get back on defense and you can’t get a rebound. We’re gonna have to figure it out before we go to Auburn,” Oats said.
“We’ve gotta go to the No. 1 team in the country, we’ve gotta go to their place. It’s gonna be a tough game for us there. And we’re playing for a lot more than just—we obviously can’t win the regular-season championship. We knew that coming into this game.”
He also added, “But we’re playing for SEC Tournament seeding, we’re playing for NCAA Tournament seeding. I thought we’d get a little bit better effort than what we got out of some of these guys tonight.”
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Alabama’s final regular-season matchup will take place on Saturday when they travel to face top-ranked Auburn. The two teams met on February 15, with Auburn securing a 94-85 victory over the Crimson Tide. With Alabama desperate for a momentum shift before postseason play, all eyes will be on how they respond in this high-stakes showdown.
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