As he prepares for Alabama’s second-round matchup with Saint Mary’s, Nate Oats took notice of his former competitor, Will Wade, signing with NC State. With Wade’s reportedly agreeing to the deal while still coaching McNeese State in the NCAA Tournament, Oats believed the 42-year-old handled the situation well.
Oats believes that Wade made the right move in openly admitting he accepted the NC State job, per his comments at his Saturday press conference. The Alabama head coach said he always appreciates honesty in his profession and did not understand why Wade’s actions were controversial.
“I thought he handled it well,” Oats said, via AL.com. “It’s out there that he’s getting the job. You may as well address it with your guys… I think he’s got a way of being honest with his guys… I don’t want to speak for [McNeese State], but from what it looked like, they’re playing hard for him. He’s got them in the right frame of mind. Personally, when I deal with players, I just want to be honest with them all the time.”
‘What’s the point of lying, trying to cover stuff up? If it’s out there let’s just be honest…he’s helping them get a better opportunity’
Nate Oats comments on Will Wade’s situation of taking the NC State job while still coaching McNeese State in the NCAA Tournament. pic.twitter.com/PNGLRcdcNv
— Alabama Crimson Tide | AL.com (@aldotcomTide) March 22, 2025
Oats connected Wade’s hiring to his own move from Buffalo to Alabama. In that situation, he acknowledged also agreeing to join the Crimson Tide before officially signing, though the news was not released publicly the way it was with Wade.
In his two years with McNeese State, Wade led the Cowboys to a 50-9 combined record and two NCAA Tournament appearances. The team’s first-round win over Clemson was its first in program history.
Nate Oats prepares Alabama for Saint Mary’s
Wade and McNeese State are no longer in the tournament, but Oats still has a chance to advance to the Round of 32. Alabama looks to follow up its first-round win over Robert Morris in a round two matchup with WCC regular season champions Saint Mary’s.
Both Alabama and Saint Mary’s are coming off close first-round victories in their respective matchups. However, while the Crimson Tide were able to pull away late, the Gaels needed a last-second stop to pull off a comeback win over Vanderbilt.
While Alabama remains one of the favorites to claim the 2025 national title, it is just 5-5 in its last 10 games. However, all five losses have come against top-15 opponents, with four of them being against top-10 teams. Saint Mary’s entered the NCAA Tournament ranked at No. 20 after a WCC Championship Game loss to Gonzaga.
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