TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Count the Crimson Tide football team among your supporters as the Alabama men's basketball team plays in its first Final Four game in program history.
Michigan State offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan said Thursday that he attended a game a few years ago during head basketball coach Nate Oats' tenure at Romulus High School. “Romulus was loaded,” Sheridan said. “Local high school students also went to see it, and it was a great success.
“I was a third baseman [at Saline High School]So I don't know why I went to the basketball game,” he quipped. That week, the coaching staff used forward Grant Nelson's performance against North Carolina in the Sweet 16 as an example in a 1-0 mentality unit meeting. “Coach, what a great job. [Oats] The staff and most importantly the players did it,” Sheridan said.[Mark] Sears was lights out. I mean, it was unbelievable, right?'' He added that the team works hard for their fellow athletes.
Defensive lineman Tim Keenan III offered his own words of support Wednesday. “I wish you all the best of luck. Keep doing what you're doing. I'm not going to tell you any different. Just know, I'm rooting for you and all across the state. is rooting for you.'' Keenan said he loves that Sears continues to defy expectations. He predicts a Crimson Tide victory. Defensive coordinator Cain Womack met Oats years ago through former Indiana head football coach Tom Allen, with whom Oats attended the same school.
“I've always been impressed with him,” Womack said Wednesday. “It's fun to see people who do things at a very high level and do things the right way succeed…A lot of people who are now seniors have gone a long way to get to this point. It's been a lot of hard work and time, and it's really special to see it pay off at the end of their careers. I'm excited to see them.”
The fourth-seeded Crimson Tide will play the top-seeded Yukon on Saturday night at 7:49 p.m. CT at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals. The last time the Glendale venue hosted the Final Four, the University of Alabama didn't even make it to his NCAA Tournament. Seven years later, the team is competing for a national title, which would be their first time qualifying for the Final Four. Neither the Crimson Tide's men's nor women's teams have played in the national championship game. The women's team reached the national semifinals in 1994, but lost to Louisiana Tech by three points.
