Nate Oats insists Alabama isn't focused on No. 1 ranking

Alabama basketball is No. 1 in the nation for the first time since 2002-2003.

But don’t tell head coach Nate Oats that. Oats insisted Monday that he and his coaching staff have not even discussed the No. 1 ranking with the team, instead choosing to focus on getting better and taking each game at a time.

And that’s important, especially because the Crimson Tide have a tough road matchup against No. 10 Tennessee set for Wednesday evening.

Here’s what Oats had to say Monday evening:

Nate Oats on Hey Coach: “Honest to God, we haven’t even discussed being No. 1 with the team yet. I knew we were No. 1 midway through practice. … We’re not gonna talk about it too much, if at all. We’re gonna focus on what we need to do to get better.”

— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) February 14, 2023

The Tide are No. 1 in a college basketball landscape that is truly devoid of team that is head-and-shoulders above everyone else, as is almost aways custom. The parity in the country right now should make for an entertaining March, with Alabama in excellent shape for a coveted 1-seed come NCAA Tournament time.

But if Alabama keeps playing like this, good luck taking them down.