One of the most storied rivalries in the SEC regardless of sport is between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Kentucky Wildcats. Alabama basketball head coach Nate Oats discussed Kentucky’s basketball program on Friday and did not mince words about their fan base.
Oats was asked during his weekly press conference on Friday what he thought about Kentucky’s team this year, which many have seen as performing far under their typical lofty expectations.
“It’s part of being Kentucky, I think,” Oats said via Sports Illustrated. “If they’re not No. 1 in the country, I think the fans get a little restless. I think they were upset that they didn’t have enough shooting before and now they’re leading the SEC in 3-point percentage.”
Oats then went on to compare Kentucky’s basketball fan base to Alabama’s football fans.
“They’re spoiled,” Oats said. “It’s probably like Alabama football fans, to be honest with you. Like, we’re not in the College Football Playoffs and everybody’s upset and acts like this is a bad year. Shoot, I don’t know what the final football polls were but after I watched those two games previous it looked like we might be in the top three or four teams in the country still and people are upset around here.”
It is actually a pretty accurate comparison from Nate Oats. Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari always brings in a top-tier recruiting class similar to what Nick Saban does for Alabama’s football team.
These comments come before Alabama and Kentucky face off on the hardwood on Saturday, where the roles are reversed from typical college basketball seasons. Alabama is the team coming into the game with a No. 7 ranking, while Kentucky is currently unranked.
