Auburn legend Charles Barkley gives major props to Nate Oats' Alabama as March Madness run comes to a close

The Alabama Crimson Tide’s journey in the 2025 NCAA Tournament came to an end on Saturday night after facing a 65-85 defeat against the Duke Blue Devils. As the No. 2 seed, Alabama had been one of the most exciting teams in the tournament, but their hopes of reaching the Final Four were dashed by the dominant top seed in the tournament.

Despite the loss, Alabama earned praise from Auburn legend and 1993 NBA MVP, Charles Barkley. The former Tigers star took a moment to acknowledge Alabama’s remarkable season and commended coach Nate Oats for his leadership.

During an appearance on the CBS Sports Network, Barkley shared his appreciation for what Alabama has accomplished over the past few seasons.

“I want to congratulate Alabama. Coach Oates, Mark Sears, and that team, what they've been able to accomplish the last couple of years...I'm so proud of what we have accomplished in Alabama, with Auburn getting to the Final Four a couple of years ago, and last year, Coach Oats getting that team to the Final Four," Barkley said.

"This has been a great ride for them the last couple of years, and I want to take the time to acknowledge the great job Coach Oates and Mark Sears has done for the University of Alabama.”

During the CBS broadcast, Kenny Smith admitted that he was surprised by the state of Alabama's rise in basketball despite being known as a football state. But his NBA on TNT colleague told him to get used to Alabama's dominance in basketball as that will be the norm moving forward.

Barkley then reflected on the unexpected rise of basketball in a state that has long been dominated by football.

“I'll be honest with you. I'm so proud of Alabama and Auburn because, obviously, I have great pride in my school and being from Alabama. I never in my wildest dreams thought that Alabama and Auburn would make it to the Final Four."

"And that's not a knock. Everybody knows that their football is King Kong. But what Bruce Pearl and Coach Oats have done, the coach at UAB has done a fabulous job,” the Chuckster added.

Even though they got knocked out, the Alabama program will attract quality prospects in the future with the promise that they have shown. If anything, fans are upset that the top two seeds in the competition faced each other so early in the tournament.

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“Had Bigger Goals” – Coach Nate Oats after elimination

Alabama’s run for another Final Four appearance fell short yesterday. Coach Nate Oats, who has now led Alabama to two of its three Elite Eight appearances in program history, spoke with the media after the loss. While acknowledging the team’s accomplishments, Oats also expressed disappointment at falling short of their ultimate goal in his opening statement:

“Yeah, obviously a tough night for us. Duke obviously had a big part to do with that. They're a great team. They've got great players. The coaching staff did a good job getting them ready. Only one team is going to end up cutting the nets down in San Antonio. It won't be us this year."

"I told our guys, we've raised this program to a level where the standard is really high. 99% of college basketball players would trade places with these guys with the year we had. But we're disappointed. We had bigger goals, and it's disappointing to go out like we went out.”

Although Alabama’s tournament run has ended, there’s no denying that the program has solidified itself as a national powerhouse under Oats’ leadership. The team’s success over the past few seasons has put them on the map, and with the foundation Oats has built, Alabama will continue to be a force in college basketball.