After keeping things tight in the first half, the Alabama Crimson Tide ran out of steam in the second half in its Sweet 16 matchup against the one-seed Michigan Wolverines on Friday, falling 90-77.
Ultimately, the Tide didn’t have the size to match Michigan’s physicality and were significantly outrebounded. In his post-game press conference, head coach Nate Oats made it clear that he felt his team addressed its size concerns within the rules as they are written, only to have a key player barred from playing.
“So we know we got to get bigger… Some of it was some injuries and stuff that happened, you know, when we saw the opportunity, you know, to bring some size on after all the adversity we went through, you know, after (Baylor Bears center James Nnaji) was declared eligible and most people, including ourselves, thought, you know, if they’re going to declare Nnaji eligible, that (Charles Bediako) would be eligible,” Oats said, referencing the former Alabama Crimson Tide player who rejoined the team mid-season after three years competing in the NBA G-League.
Bediako was initially granted a 10-day temporary restraining order by a Tuscaloosa judge, allowing him to return to the college ranks, but he was ultimately declared ineligible, and Oats was forced to remove him from the active roster.
“Had one judge that thought so, he would have definitely helped the situation with the rebounding,” Oats continued. “We would not have gotten out-rebounded by 13 tonight had we been able to continue to play him, because him and Sherrell would have played together. A lot more, and they can both rebound, but it wasn’t meant to be.”
Oats took a lot of heat on social media over the comments, especially from those who thought it was unfair and against the rules to bring back a player who’d gone pro.
While Oats wasn’t able to finish the season with Bediako on the roster, this isn’t an issue that will disappear just yet. As much as people may oppose the direction college sports are heading, more programs will likely follow suit and test the boundaries of player eligibility.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.