March 15, 2023 | by Taylor Pill

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- For the first time in program history, Alabama Men's Basketball has earned the No. 1 overall seed for the 2023 NCAA "March Madness" Tournament, and head coach Nate Oats, a Maranatha graduate, is simply doing what he does best.

Oats was a 4-year basketball player, a team captain, and an all-conference standout for Maranatha from 1993-97, and since leaving Maranatha, Oats has created unprecedented success at the collegiate level for both the University of Buffalo and Alabama - two programs in need of a boost when Oats came in. This is the sixth season that Oats has qualified for the tournament, after earning berths with Buffalo in 2016, 2018, and 2019.

Oats' catchphrase is "blue-collar basketball" and he has instilled a relentless work ethic into these programs as he creates new cultures in whatever program he leads.

Winning cultures.

In the 2022-23 season, he has led the Crimson Tide to a 29-5 record (16-2 in the SEC) through a season filled with challenges. And his eyes are fixed on taking him a national title.

"These two games we’ve got coming up in Birmingham this weekend are not gonna be the easiest of games," Oats said. "We feel like we got a pretty tough draw as a No. 1 overall seed. But I think our guys will be ready.

"Can we be great on defense, rebound the ball well, take care of the ball? If we do that, even if we shoot it poorly, I think. . . we can still win. And I think that’s why we’ve got a chance to win the whole thing.”

Oats took over at Alabama for the 2019-20 season and has led the Crimson Tide to the NCAA Tournament for three straight years - something that hasn't happened in over 30 years for the program. The Crimson Tide earned the top seed in this year's tournament and will take on No. 16 Texas A&M Corpus Christi tomorrow at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

For more on the program, go here.