Alabama Coach Nate Oats on Purdue: 'Arguably the Best Program in the Country'
Alabama might be ranked as the No. 2 team in the country heading into Mackey Arena on Friday night, but he understands that 13th-ranked Purdue presents plenty of challenges. He provided nothing but compliments for Matt Painter and the Boilermakers prior to the colossal college basketball showdown.
Prior to Friday night's game, Oats met with reporters to talk about the top-15 clash between Alabama and Purdue. He gave the Boilermakers plenty of credit for their success over the last five seasons.
"They're a good team, picked to win the Big Ten. I think they've been ranked 39 straight AP polls," Oats said. "Which, if you look at schools over the last five years from a Power Five conference, they're first in wins. I think only Houston and Gonzaga have more wins in the country, and (Purdue) plays in the Big Ten. So, if you look at a program's superiority, over the last five years, they're arguably may be the best program in the country."
Since the start of the 2020-21 season, Purdue has posted a record of 113-28, reaching the NCAA Tournament every season, winning two Big Ten regular season titles, a Big Ten Tournament championship and earning a trip to the National Championship Game.
Plus, Oats has firsthand knowledge of how skilled Purdue is on the basketball court. Last year, the Boilermakers defeated the Crimson Tide 92-86 in a neutral-site game played in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Friday's trip to West Lafayette will be Oats' first visit to Mackey Arena. While he's heard about the intensity of the atmosphere, he'll finally get to experience the environment.
"(We are) on the road in maybe the best environment in the Big Ten, from what I've heard," Oats said. "I've never been there — I've been to a lot of Big Ten arenas ... I was never able to get to Purdue, so this will be my first time."
Both Purdue and Alabama enter Friday's game with 3-0 records. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET and the game will air on Peacock.
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