LOS ANGELES — Alabama guard Rylan Griffen looked up at an imaginary wall and thought about all the legendary athletes and teams in Tuscaloosa.
Some are Heisman Trophy winners. Hall of Fame player. National champion.
Now, he and his teammates will be credited with leading the University of Alabama to the Final Four for the first time in school history.
“We are going down in history,” Griffen said.
This is a major accomplishment for a program that has long been in the shadow of the football team and dominated by sports. Not only soccer, but also softball, gymnastics, and golf are excellent, all sports make it to the finals and most importantly win the national championship.
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Now this team can join that list and potentially make even more history by becoming the first men's basketball team to win a national championship.
“We want to be great in everything we do, and that's what the University of Alabama is and should be,” Athletic Director Greg Byrne told USA TODAY Sports. “People care about the University of Alabama more than anyone else, so it's really great to see that happen on the basketball court.”
It was another outstanding offensive performance from Alabama on Saturday night, but with a twist. The Crimson Tide's shoot didn't go very well. He went 6-of-27 from the field and 1-of-13 from 3-point land. It's all because of a lackluster performance.
But the twist was that Alabama made Clemson work offensively. This was something we haven't seen much of for the Crimson Tide this season. Clemson also struggled to shoot the ball in the first half, but Alabama's defense kept Clemson from getting ahead. After that, Alabama's offense found its rhythm. A 22-6 run ended the first half, and the offense did the rest from there.
Clemson's offense improved significantly in the second half, but not as much as Alabama's. The Crimson Tide made 16 of 23 shots in the second half. The Tide made 10 3-pointers. Not many teams could keep up with Alabama's momentum, and the Tigers struggled, falling just short of making it to the Final Four for the first time.
“We can have the No. 1 offense in the country, and we've had that for most of the year,” head coach Nate Oats said. “If we put together a top-20 defense, we can get to the Final Four. I think we did that.”
AD, players praise Nate Oats' accomplishments
Byrne has overseen a number of successful teams since taking over at the University of Alabama in 2017, and despite the basketball team's fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the team missed the Final Four. We recognized that some improvements were needed to move forward. Alabama was ranked last in the nation in scoring defense, so it needed to strengthen its defense. The defense did enough to allow the offense to flourish in the tournament.
That's where Byrne credits Oates. And his coaching this postseason is likely what Byrne envisioned when he hired him in 2019. When Byrne was offered the position, Byrne said he told the former Buffalo coach to remember his early days coaching basketball and teaching math classes at Romulus High School in 2019. Michigan. Remember back then when he sold “Capri Sands and Cheetos” out of his office to get money to take his team on the road? If Oats hadn't forgotten his humility, Byrne would have believed he could achieve greatness with the Crimson Tide.
His players worked to give Oats his due. People thought last year's No. 1 overall seed was Alabama's best chance to reach the Final Four, but it was bounced in the Sweet 16. There wasn't much outside belief that Alabama would make it to the finals this year, but here they are. .
“He's a really great coach. He's lost a lot from last year,” said guard Mark Sears, who was named West Player of the Year. “It's just that he's rebuilt the group the way he's gotten us. It's going to show how hard-working he is and how much of a competitor he is as well.”
Achieve success in basketball at football school
When Oats took over at Alabama, there was no denying that football was in the spotlight and other sports were winning titles, too. So he made it his mission to bring the basketball team to the same level. Entering this season, the basketball team had continued to win, but had not reached the Final Four, which Oats felt was vindication for the team.
So Oates used his resources to his advantage. He tried to learn everything he could from seven-time All-American coach Nick Saban. Oats would watch football practices, sit in on staff meetings, go on road trips and accompany him. Quotes from Saban are used consistently by Oates. He thought the team would benefit from being able to see how a consistent national championship coach would operate.
“I loved the fact that I came to Alabama and worked in the same athletic department as arguably the best coach, maybe not even the best football coach, but the best coach in any team sport or college sport in modern history. I’m here. Anything goes,” Oates said. “I didn't want to embarrass him. But I certainly picked his brains out at the right time.”
Saban communicated with Oats during the NCAA Tournament, encouraging him to prepare for the next challenge, which Alabama has been able to accomplish so far. I'm perfectly fine with the University of Alabama being primarily a football school, regardless of how this postseason ends, as we've learned from the football team's success.
“I like the fact that we are a football school and we are looking to add another sport at Championship School level because I think we are knocking on the door there.” said Oates. “We're only 18 national championships behind them. We're close to catching up. Let's just keep grinding. Let's get to the Final Four and get on the big stage.”
True, Alabama has yet to win a basketball championship. But achieving a Final Four spot could certainly start a new era of success in Tuscaloosa. This time, soccer won't be the only thing in the spotlight.
“We've never been able to completely overcome this hurdle,” Byrne said. “I certainly think this could be the springboard to many great things down the road.”
