Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne announced Sunday he has finalized a contract extension with basketball coach Nate Oats. Byrne announced on social media Oats has signed the deal “that will make him one of the top five compensated men's basketball coaches in the country.”
Byrne said “appropriate members of the board of trustees have been notified of the proposed terms of the new agreement and it will soon be formally approved through the board process.”
Oats led Alabama to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, where the Crimson Tide lost to Michigan 90-77 on March 27. Alabama reached the Elite Eight each of the previous two years and reached the Final Four in 2024, where it lost to UConn.
Oats is 170-73 in seven seasons at Alabama with six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. He signed his last new contract in 2024. Alabama finished 25-10 this season and played in the NCAA Tournament without star guard Aden Holloway, who was suspended indefinitely following a March 16 arrest on felony drug charges.
The men’s college basketball championship is tonight between UConn and Michigan. Dan Hurley had the Huskies ready for another Final Four fight night. Once again, UConn scored a knockout. Fabulous freshman Braylon Mullins made another last-minute 3-pointer — his only basket of the second half — and the Huskies muscled their way past Illinois 71-62 on Saturday to reach their third national championship game in four years.
Tarris Reed Jr. had 17 points and 11 rebounds and Mullins finished with 15 points as the Huskies (34-5) rode strong inside play and tough defense to their 19th straight victory in the Sweet 16 or later rounds of the NCAA Tournament. They'll face Michigan with a chance to win their seventh national title, all since 1999, as Hurley tries to become the only active coach with more than two championships.
“We’re a tough program, we’re a group of fighters,” said Hurley, who won it all in 2023 and 2024. “We’ve got incredible will. We go into these games, we’re ready for battle. For us, it’s not a game that we’re just kind of running around in uniforms throwing the ball around, hoping it goes in. That’s not what we’re doing out there. We’re fighting. It’s a life-and-death struggle for us to get to Monday night for the opportunity to win a championship.”
Mullins sent the Huskies past Duke, the top overall seed, in the Elite Eight last weekend with the shot of the tourney — a 35-foot 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left. He was equally effective this time, a short drive from his hometown of Greenfield, Indiana.
