NEWARK, NJ — On a record-setting night for Alabama, Nate Oats invoked the name of one of basketball’s most-heralded offensive minds.
“Everybody questions whether we had the defense to win. For some reason nobody was talking about our offense, though," Oats said following Alabama’s 113-88 demolition of BYU in the Sweet 16. "We've gotten to know Mike D'Antoni a little bit. He made the point, your offense only has to be one point in efficiency better than your defense to win the game.”
With all due respect to D’Antoni and the seven-seconds-or-less mantra, what Alabama did on Thursday night was jaw-dropping as Mark Sears, Aden Holloway and Chris Youngblood hit 21 of an NCAA tournament-record 25 3-pointers in the regional semifinal.