"They haven’t played that much together": Nate Oats reveals "chemistry" issues faced by the Alabama hoopers amid preparing for SEC games

Nate Oats' Alabama Crimson Tide has garnered notable wins to mount a 12-2 record. They have defeated teams like Creighton, No. 6 Houston, No. 20 North Carolina and No. 25 Illinois. The only outing decided by a single-digit scoring margin was against the Cougars, suggesting that the roster has cultivated a certain level of chemistry.

However, Oats tempers the optimism by claiming that the team needs more time together to develop apt dynamics and cohesion. After the Crimson Tide dominated the then-No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners 107-79 on Saturday in their conference opener, the coach pointed out that several players haven't had as significant minutes together as others, making it an integral area of growth.

"I still think there’s a lot of chemistry that has to be figured out because some of these guys haven’t played that well together," Oats said (per On3). "I shouldn’t say that well. They haven’t played that much together. We’re still figuring some of our chemistry stuff out."

Led by super seniors Grant Nelson and Mark Sears, fifth-ranked Alabama (12-2, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) features a mix of returning players, transfers and freshmen in its lineup. Eight of the 14 players on Nate Oats' roster are playing for the program for the first time.

The transfers are Aden Holloway (Auburn), Chris Youngblood (South Florida), Clifford Omoruyi (Rutgers) and Houston Mallette (Pepperdine) while Labaron Philon, Naas Cunningham, Derrion Reid and Aiden Sherrell are in their first year of Division I basketball.

Nate Oats wants Alabama to be a better defensive unit

The Crimson Tide are coming off their best win over a ranked team this season, a 28-point victory over No. 12 Oklahoma. The team is expected to only get better deeper into the season. With that, Nate Oats wants his roster to be consistent on the offense and unleash its full potential on defense.

"You know what, we’re capable of being a great defensive team," Oats said. "We got to be better when the score is our way and we’ve got to be more consistent."

Alabama is currently missing Latrell Wrightsell and Chris Youngblood due to injuries. Wrightsell shot 44.7% (152 attempts) while Youngblood converted 41.6% (140 attempts) 3-pointers last season. Having them back in the active lineup will automatically balance much of the scoring.

With that, any defensive harmony that the team cultivates in their absence can make Bama a much more potent NCAA championship contender upon its snipers' returns.