Nate Oats previews showdown against Tennessee, updates Charles Bediako’s status
By Keith Farner
Published:
Nate Oats understands that the big game against Tennessee has been anticipated for a long time.
The Alabama coach, whose team is newly ranked No. 1, will meet the No. 10 Vols in Knoxville, at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday on ESPN2.
“This has been a matchup that everybody’s been looking forward to for a while. Tennessee’s been at the top of the metrics, at the top of the rankings,” Oats said.
As for Charles Bediako’s status, the Alabama center’s availability is unknown, but Oats addressed it. Bediako suffered a knee injury during the win over Auburn on Saturday.
“He did have a minor knee injury in the Auburn game,” Oats said. “He played through it. He’s day-to-day. He’s gotten better every day since the Auburn game.”
Bediako has started all 25 games this season. The 7-footer was averaging 5.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while playing an average of 20.4 minutes. He leads Alabama in blocks (41) and is second in field goal percentage, at 60.4%.
H/T Charlie Potter.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
