Alabama's Nate Oats Pays Major Compliment to Purdue Crowd, Mackey Arena Environment
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Nate Oats got his introduction to Mackey Arena on Friday night. The Alabama coach had never been inside the historic walls until his second-ranked Crimson Tide played No. 13 Purdue in a premier college basketball nonconference matchup.
The Purdue crowd delivered at a high level on Friday. Mackey Arena was rocking from the opening tipoff until the final buzzer, aiding the Boilermakers in an 87-78 victory over Alabama.
After the game, Oats had nothing but positive things to say about the environment in West Lafayette.
"I loved the environment. They've got a big-time environment here," Oats said. "It's my first time being here, I grew up in Big Ten country and had been to most of the Big Ten arenas. I hadn't been here yet.
"I'm a big basketball fan, in general. As a fan, this would've been a great game to go to. As an opposing coach, it makes it a little more difficult. Hard to get your play calls out, they don't hear you very well. When they're on a run, it's loud in there. If they get a stop, it gets loud. They've done a great job."
Mackey Arena is considered one of the best environments in college basketball. It's loud, it's hostile and it's incredibly difficult for opposing teams to operate.
As a basketball fan, Oats loved the environment. As a coach on the opposing sideline? Not so much.
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