Nate Oats discusses changes to NCAA basketball rules, how Alabama will adjust
By Adam Spencer
Published:
During his time at Buffalo, Nate Oats’ teams ran some of the fastest, highest-scoring offenses in the entire country.
Now, he’s bringing his show to Tuscaloosa as the new head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. His tenure with the Tide, however, will coincide with new rules, including the extension of the three-point line.
Still, Oats isn’t worried. Per 247Sports, Oats said Alabama already has an extended three-point line during practice sessions to help players increase their range:
“We give four points for an NBA three in practice because I’m trying to get them to stretch their range back anyways,” Oats said Sunday when speaking to the Alabama Sports Writers Association. “The further you can space the floor and open it up, the better off it is for us with the way we play, so that obviously helps us. Now, we’ve got to get shooters that can make them. … We’re working on shooting and trying to get better.”
Alabama has some players, notably John Petty, that have some impressive range. Now, it’s just about getting the consistency to improve.
Oats also isn’t worried about the shot clock only resetting to 20 seconds after an offensive rebound:
“Ideally, if we get an offensive rebound, we’re scoring in the next two seconds on a put-back or throwing it back out and hitting a three in the next two seconds,” Oats said. “So, I’m not trying milk the clock ever, really, unless I’ve got a lead late in the game, so it helps us. If you go and look at our analytic numbers, I think we were fourth in the country in possession length on offense and like 330-something in possession length on defense because everybody tried to slow it down and us, and we just said ‘I’m going to guard you and make you take a bad shot at the end of the clock.’ … So, that helps us.”
Based on those comments, and Oats’ track record at Buffalo, it should be a fun, fast-paced season for the Crimson Tide.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
