Nate Oats said he enjoyed his ‘chess match’ against Mark Pope in their first head-to-head battle at Rupp Arena back in January, two of the best offensive minds in college basketball leading their programs to a combined 199 points in the 102-97 win for Alabama.

Nate Oats turned to his Alabama bench quicker than expected and explained why after beating Kentucky on Saturday.

College basketball is unpredictable, but Alabama head coach Nate Oats knows how to navigate tough situations. After suffering back-to-back losses against ranked opponents, the Crimson Tide needed to bounce back.