Nate Oats comments on rebounding matchup vs. Hofstra
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The Alabama Crimson Tide will kick off their NCAA Tournament journey on Friday afternoon when they take on the 13th-seeded Hofstra Pride in what has the potential to be a very formidable first-round match up.
Hofstra possesses uncharacteristic size in the front court that makes them a tough opponent on the glass for any team to deal with, a reality that Alabama head coach Nate Oats touched on during a Thursday presser.
“They’re good. They’ve got real size,” Oats said. “(Silas) Sunday is a big shot blocker, rim protector, rebounder. I’ve been at that level. I was at Buffalo for six years before I was a head coach, and having legitimate size inside is something maybe you don’t always have at that level. They have it. But Sunday. And then — I don’t want to pronounce his name wrong, No. 6, Victory Onuetu — between Sunday and Onuetu, they had 11 O-boards just between the two of them in their last game they played.”
The Crimson Tide have had issues on the glass all season long, and Oats is well aware that Hofstra’s prowess on the boards could present a big problem for his team if those issues crop up again on Friday. As such, Oats went onto say that he’s made his guys “fully aware” that rebounding the ball will be of the upmost importance when they take on the Pride.
“Our guys are fully aware,” Oats said. “We have had an issue rebounding the ball too many times this year. If we don’t make a concerted effort to go to the glass, box out, it’s going to be a problem. Because if you keep giving their backcourt multiple chances — they make tough shots, so you get them to miss one, great, you did a good job on defense. You have to get the rebound.”
Oats clearly understands that the key to a first-round victory for his team is controlling the glass, so it will be interesting to see whether or not his guys can overcome their season-long struggles in that department against a lengthy Hofstra front court.
