Nate Oats says Charles Bediako ‘would’ve definitely helped’ in loss to Michigan
By David Wasson
Published:
The Alabama basketball team ran into a Michigan buzzsaw in the second half of Friday’s Midwest Regional final – as the Wolverines limited the Crimson Tide to just 28 second-half points en route to a 90-77 victory.
Fourth-seeded Alabama (25-10) was unable to handle Michigan’s low-post presence, as the Wolverines dropped 34 points in the paint against the Crimson Tide’s 20. Michigan (34-3) also outrebounded Alabama 48-30.
After the loss, Alabama coach Nate Oats bemoaned his team’s inside presence in the Sweet 16 – playing without Charles Bediako after Bediako was deemed ineligible in his attempt to return to the Tide after a stint in the NBA’s G-League.
We know we gotta get bigger… We saw the opportunity to bring some size on, after (Baylor center James) Nnaji was declared eligible, and most people, including ourselves, thought Bediako would be eligible. We had one judge who thought so. He would’ve definitely helped the situation with the rebounding… We wouldn’t have gotten out-rebounded by 13 tonight had we been able to continue to play him.
Bediako returned to Alabama for five games during SEC play, starting in two of them and delivering 10.0 points per game before the temporary restraining order allowing him to play while he appealed his eligibility expired. Bediako’s motion to play out the remainder of Alabama’s 2025-26 season was then denied.
Then there were 8. Here’s a look at the latest odds for each remaining team to win the national championship, via Kalshi:
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
