Nate Oats sounds alarm on Alabama after loss to Purdue
By Jacob Moss
Published:
No. 8 Alabama was handed its first loss of the new campaign on Thursday night by No. 2 Purdue, dropping a tightly-contested 87-80 final at home in Coleman Coliseum to the Boilermakers.
One of the biggest factors in the Tide’s loss was their ineffectiveness on the glass, as they were thoroughly dominated in the rebound department on both ends of the floor, with Purdue finishing the night with a 52-28 advantage in total rebounds.
Alabama head coach Nate Oats touched on his team’s lackluster performance on the boards during his postgame presser, stating that they have “issues” in the crucial area that have persisted since the team’s preseason scrimmages.
“We’ve got issues on the glass,” Oats said. “In our exhibition games, we knew it. In our intra-squad scrimmages, we knew it. … We’ve been sounding the alarm on the rebounding deal. We got exposed tonight. Our guys are gonna have to decide whether they want to have a good season, or whether they’re just gonna get out-toughed every game the rest of the year.”
When asked what it would take for his team to fix their early rebounding struggles, Oats told reporters that it all boils down to desire and who wants the ball more.
“At the end of the day, it’s about desire,” Oats said. “You either want the ball or you don’t. … At the end of the day, if you’ve got the size and athleticism and you want to go get a rebound, you’re gonna go get a rebound. We’re gonna have to determine whether we want to be the tougher team.”
