Bobby Hurley elevated Buffalo's basketball program, but Nate Oates took it to even higher levels. When he took the job at Alabama ,they were an average to below average SEC program. They have basically been a ranked team ever since, and now at the most powerful football school in the nation, they are undefeated in SEC play and ranked #2. It is hard to believe but Alabama basketball is looking better than Alabama football this year.

I think it's all because of the addition of Mark Sears, former OHIO great. He has made all the difference for Alabama!

PS-Yes, I'm kidding (mostly!)

Obviously he's really damn good, but I don't think the fact he's achieving his success at Alabama was him overcoming an obstacle. With the new media deals the SEC and B10 have huge financial advantages over everyone else.

The SEC, which I felt was one of the weaker P6 conferences in basketball ~10 years ago, is pretty damn good right now. I'm counting 10 teams in the top 100 of NET. South Carolina is the only team outside of the top 150. Top to bottom it's a strong conference.

He’s certainly surpassed Hurley in the power conference ranks as well as what he did in the MAC.

Oats coached Romulus High School for eleven years in Michigan. Romulus is the low-income suburb of Detroit where DTW airport is located.

He opened a snack business in the school and took the profits to upgrade the basketball equipment. He used the "school of choice" program to recruit some great players from nearby schools. He was, quite frankly a ball of energy, miles ahead of other coaches.

He was Hurley's best hire. Many of Buffalo's best players came from SE Michigan and were recruited by Oats, succeeding Hurley was a no-brainer choice for Buffalo. Let's be honest, the ONLY non-championship MAC team in this millennium worthy of an NCAA bid would have Oats' last at Buffalo.

Is he a great X an O guy? Maybe not but man can the guy get the horses to come play for him. He changed the MAC. I can remember when the "new guy" coach had at least four years of tenure, today there are far more new faces.

(01-27-2023 06:19 PM)Jerry Weaver Wrote:  Oats coached Romulus High School for eleven years in Michigan. Romulus is the low-income suburb of Detroit where DTW airport is located.

He opened a snack business in the school and took the profits to upgrade the basketball equipment. He used the "school of choice" program to recruit some great players from nearby schools. He was, quite frankly a ball of energy, miles ahead of other coaches.

He was Hurley's best hire. Many of Buffalo's best players came from SE Michigan and were recruited by Oats, succeeding Hurley was a no-brainer choice for Buffalo. Let's be honest, the ONLY non-championship MAC team in this millennium worthy of an NCAA bid would have Oats' last at Buffalo.

Is he a great X an O guy? Maybe not but man can the guy get the horses to come play for him. He changed the MAC. I can remember when the "new guy" coach had at least four years of tenure, today there are far more new faces.

Your point is somewhat well taken ... but I would say early on, the 2002 Bowling Green team and 2002 Ball State team, and the 2003 Kent State team .. along with the Buffalo teams were all worth of at-large bids from the MAC.

(01-25-2023 01:30 PM)kreed5120 Wrote:  ... With the new media deals the SEC and B10 have huge financial advantages over everyone else.

The SEC, which I felt was one of the weaker P6 conferences in basketball ~10 years ago, is pretty damn good right now. I'm counting 10 teams in the top 100 of NET. South Carolina is the only team outside of the top 150. Top to bottom it's a strong conference.

Yes, I think that's right. A decade ago and then stretching back for a good long while, a number of SEC schools were stretched to their limit just keeping up on football, and they put basketball on the back burner as a result.

Obviously there were SEC schools other than Kentucky that took basketball more seriously than the Mississippi's seemed to do, but year by year, the SEC was rarely among the top three power basketball conferences.

That has clearly changed over the past decade. In addition to the extra money, the existence of the SEC Network also probably encourages schools to put more emphasis on being more competitive when basketball season rolls around.

The scandals with the shoe companies hurt their competitors quite a bit. All of a sudden their competitors could not pay as much and when that happens things change.

The SEC (and moreso the Big 10) have very rich TV revenues now. If each school gets $60-100 million each (while still excluding normal donations, ticket sales, brand endorsements, etc.) you should certainly be able to afford great football and basketball resources.

He’s really really good! Next question please…

(01-28-2023 09:37 AM)cleveland Wrote:  

(01-27-2023 06:19 PM)Jerry Weaver Wrote:  Oats coached Romulus High School for eleven years in Michigan. Romulus is the low-income suburb of Detroit where DTW airport is located.

He opened a snack business in the school and took the profits to upgrade the basketball equipment. He used the "school of choice" program to recruit some great players from nearby schools. He was, quite frankly a ball of energy, miles ahead of other coaches.

He was Hurley's best hire. Many of Buffalo's best players came from SE Michigan and were recruited by Oats, succeeding Hurley was a no-brainer choice for Buffalo. Let's be honest, the ONLY non-championship MAC team in this millennium worthy of an NCAA bid would have Oats' last at Buffalo.

Is he a great X an O guy? Maybe not but man can the guy get the horses to come play for him. He changed the MAC. I can remember when the "new guy" coach had at least four years of tenure, today there are far more new faces.

Your point is somewhat well taken ... but I would say early on, the 2002 Bowling Green team and 2002 Ball State team, and the 2003 Kent State team .. along with the Buffalo teams were all worth of at-large bids from the MAC.

I agree with each of these teams deserving to be at-large.

Didn't take long for this post to age like curdled milk!

(02-21-2023 06:51 PM)MacLord Wrote:  Didn't take long for this post to age like curdled milk!

Exactly my thoughts. Doesn't suppplying the murder weapon get you at least a suspension? Not under Nate Oates I guess.

(02-22-2023 11:11 AM)DICK Wrote:  

(02-21-2023 06:51 PM)MacLord Wrote:  Didn't take long for this post to age like curdled milk!

Exactly my thoughts. Doesn't suppplying the murder weapon get you at least a suspension? Not under Nate Oates I guess.

Honestly guys, you want a totally clean program that excels as well? Sorry but Coach K retired last year. Like I said, Nate gets the horses.

Briggs: Toledo's former basketball nemesis offers horrifying blueprint on winning at any cost

"Judging by the allegations — and Oats’ own aloof comments — the powerhouse Crimson Tide are providing a truly win-at-any-cost map to the darkest, most cynical depths of big-time college sports."

https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/ut/20...0230221132

(02-22-2023 08:54 PM)Sleepy Wrote:  Briggs: Toledo's former basketball nemesis offers horrifying blueprint on winning at any cost

"Judging by the allegations — and Oats’ own aloof comments — the powerhouse Crimson Tide are providing a truly win-at-any-cost map to the darkest, most cynical depths of big-time college sports."

https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/ut/20...0230221132

Surprise, surprise.... That's the Alabama/SEC way.

(02-22-2023 11:24 PM)astr083 Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 08:54 PM)Sleepy Wrote:  Briggs: Toledo's former basketball nemesis offers horrifying blueprint on winning at any cost

"Judging by the allegations — and Oats’ own aloof comments — the powerhouse Crimson Tide are providing a truly win-at-any-cost map to the darkest, most cynical depths of big-time college sports."

https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/ut/20...0230221132

Surprise, surprise.... That's the Alabama/SEC way.

There's a bit of truth to it. Certainly, Oats has not handled the situation very well and having two guys on your team involved in a senseless murder says something. Although Miller's role seems accidental with the info released today. He was on his way to pick up a teammate who then asked him to grab his gun. Miller didn't have any specific indication it was going to be used to shoot someone and Alabama like most states now has made the carrying and transport of guns as easy and unregulated as possible. Perfectly normal in some places for 19 year olds to be sharing firearms like pizza. The New Mexico St/New Mexico shooting is just as bad and while that kid got kicked off the team he isn't going to jail. Putting yourself in a dangerous situation and shooting your way out of it is acceptable to a lot of Americans these days. Oats wants a national title and this might be his best shot. It's gonna take even more bodies for him to back off now.

(02-23-2023 03:31 AM)pono Wrote:  Although Miller's role seems accidental with the info released today. He was on his way to pick up a teammate who then asked him to grab his gun. Miller didn't have any specific indication it was going to be used to shoot someone...

If the next words weren't "...we're going to the gun range." I would think that he should have asked a question or three.

(02-23-2023 03:31 AM)pono Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 11:24 PM)astr083 Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 08:54 PM)Sleepy Wrote:  Briggs: Toledo's former basketball nemesis offers horrifying blueprint on winning at any cost

"Judging by the allegations — and Oats’ own aloof comments — the powerhouse Crimson Tide are providing a truly win-at-any-cost map to the darkest, most cynical depths of big-time college sports."

https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/ut/20...0230221132

Surprise, surprise.... That's the Alabama/SEC way.

There's a bit of truth to it. Certainly, Oats has not handled the situation very well and having two guys on your team involved in a senseless murder says something. Although Miller's role seems accidental with the info released today. He was on his way to pick up a teammate who then asked him to grab his gun. Miller didn't have any specific indication it was going to be used to shoot someone and Alabama like most states now has made the carrying and transport of guns as easy and unregulated as possible. Perfectly normal in some places for 19 year olds to be sharing firearms like pizza. The New Mexico St/New Mexico shooting is just as bad and while that kid got kicked off the team he isn't going to jail. Putting yourself in a dangerous situation and shooting your way out of it is acceptable to a lot of Americans these days. Oats wants a national title and this might be his best shot. It's gonna take even more bodies for him to back off now.

Going for the 1990s - 2000s Miami Hurricanes approach...win at any cost.

(02-23-2023 11:07 AM)kreed5120 Wrote:  

(02-23-2023 03:31 AM)pono Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 11:24 PM)astr083 Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 08:54 PM)Sleepy Wrote:  Briggs: Toledo's former basketball nemesis offers horrifying blueprint on winning at any cost

"Judging by the allegations — and Oats’ own aloof comments — the powerhouse Crimson Tide are providing a truly win-at-any-cost map to the darkest, most cynical depths of big-time college sports."

https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/ut/20...0230221132

Surprise, surprise.... That's the Alabama/SEC way.

There's a bit of truth to it. Certainly, Oats has not handled the situation very well and having two guys on your team involved in a senseless murder says something. Although Miller's role seems accidental with the info released today. He was on his way to pick up a teammate who then asked him to grab his gun. Miller didn't have any specific indication it was going to be used to shoot someone and Alabama like most states now has made the carrying and transport of guns as easy and unregulated as possible. Perfectly normal in some places for 19 year olds to be sharing firearms like pizza. The New Mexico St/New Mexico shooting is just as bad and while that kid got kicked off the team he isn't going to jail. Putting yourself in a dangerous situation and shooting your way out of it is acceptable to a lot of Americans these days. Oats wants a national title and this might be his best shot. It's gonna take even more bodies for him to back off now.

Going for the 1990s - 2000s Miami Hurricanes approach...win at any cost.

Considering that there is a murder involved, at a minimum, Miller should be suspended pending an investigation.