Nate Oats has guided Alabama to 3 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including 2 trips as a No. 2 seed or higher. Unfortunately, he is answering questions after the Crimson Tide fell short of the Final Four once again.

On Friday, Alabama — the No. 1 overall seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament — was upset in the Sweet 16. San Diego State stifled Alabama’s potent offense, limiting the Tide to 3-for-27 shooting from 3-point range. Brandon Miller was held to 1-for-10 from deep.

After another upset loss, Oats was asked if the tournament issues were related to the system he employs, game preparation or in-game management issues. Oats pushed back on issues related to Alabama’s system, pointing toward a field of “all good teams” in the NCAA Tournament.

Oats also highlighted any loss for Alabama was going to be labeled an upset with the Tide carrying the pressure as the No. 1 overall seed:

“You know, we were going to lose to a team seeded lower than us unless we won the national championship this year,” said Oats. “We were the No. 1 overall seed.

“You know, last year we had an injury that nobody expected when J.Q. blew his knee out. Not that that’s an excuse. Notre Dame played well. Before that we went 12 of 25 at the free-throw line. Goes into overtime. Shoot 60% instead of less than 50, probably win that game.

“This year we’re 3 of 27 from three, and I know we take a lot of threes, but the system worked for the entire year. You know, we just — it’s one of those deals where I’m going to go back to the drawing board and see what I can get better at. We’re going to try to recruit really good players.”

At the end of the day, Oats believes many programs would love to be in Alabama’s position. He maintains the future is bright as the Tide will look to get better in the offseason.

“A lot of programs would love to be in the NCAA Tournament three straight years,” Oats explained. “A lot of them would have loved to have won the SEC regular season tournament twice in the last three years.

“We’re doing pretty good things at Alabama, and we’re going to continue to get better.”

Budding problem for Oats or the latest example of March Madness?

When it comes to upset losses, head coaches are always bound to face some scrutiny. That is going to be the same for Nate Oats, especially with such a talented program in place in Tuscaloosa.

If there is a bright spot for Alabama falling short of the Elite Eight this year it would be the historic nature of the remaining teams. This is the first NCAA Tournament in history without a No. 1 seed in the final eight teams.

In an NCAA Tournament so upset-heavy, Oats will probably avoid intense scrutiny unless more big-time losses follow him and the Tide.

(H/T ASAP Sports)