Oats Says Florida 'Broke Us' in SEC Tournament

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama men's basketball is on a four-game losing streak to the Florida Gators, dating back to the 2024 matchup in Gainesville against the Gators. The Crimson Tide has matched up with Florida five times in the last two seasons, with the Tide's lone victory coming by five points in Tuscaloosa, and the Gators victories coming by an average of 14.75 points.

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Three of the four victories came by double-digit points, with Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats saying that the Gators 'broke our will' in the latest matchup between Alabama and Florida in the SEC Tournament.

"The backcourt that they've had was elite," Oats said. "Look at all three of those guys in the NBA, and they're really good. I feel like they broke our will a couple times last year, to be honest with you. I was a little disappointed. Some of those guys are back this year, and I'm going to make that point.

With their physicality inside and their shot-making ability with some of those guys on the perimeter, it was a little bit of a tough cover, because we were getting beat up a little bit inside, and you can't help inside when they can make shots at the level they were able to make them at. You kind of trust your bigs to be able to do it, and we didn't, and I think we got a little frustrated. The other thing is they did a great job defensively, and we're trying to get to where we don't have the mentality that our defense is affected by what happens on offense, but the reality is we had some of that last year. Guys don't make shots, it's difficult for them on offense, all of a sudden they get frustrated, next thing you know, the other team goes on a run. We have some of it this year; it's human nature to get a little frustrated. We've tried to coach these guys through it. I think we're getting closer to having a really mentally tough team."

Alabama showcased its defensive prowess in the Tide's most recent victory, holding the Missouri Tigers to 64 points, the lowest scoring output against the Crimson Tide this season. Florida's offense, ranked No. 17 according to KenPom, has five players averaging double-digit points for the Gators this season.

"I just last night was watching the SEC semifinal game against them, and in the second half, they just kind of broke us, and it was disappointing to watch it," Oats said. "It was a team I was responsible for, and I didn't do a good enough job of coaching them and getting them mentally tough enough. We've got to be a lot tougher this year, and hopefully we've come around that way with some mental toughness."

No. 23 Alabama will face No. 19 Florida on Sunday, February 1, at noon CT.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.