Alabama dropped its second straight loss in the SEC, after falling 99-94 to the Florida Gators at Coleman Coliseum. As the Crimson Tide shifts its focus onto the eternal rivals, Auburn Tigers, head coach Nate Oats sent a powerful reminder to his players.

After a buzzer-beater loss to Tennessee, No. 7 Alabama failed to get back in the win column during its Senior Night matchup against Florida. The Crimson Tide has now lost two straight for the second time this season, previously dropping back-to-back games to Auburn and Missouri on Feb. 15 and 19.

Oats and the Tide will vie to avoid a three-game losing skid as they prepare for a crucial NCAA showdown against their in-state rivals in Auburn. Alabama’s last performance fell well short of the standard set by Oats and his staff, and the head coach didn’t mince words after the game.

“It doesn’t matter what your game plan is, if you don’t get back on defense and you can’t get a rebound,” Oats stated postgame, via On3. “We’re gonna have to figure it out before we go to Auburn. We’ve gotta to the No. 1 team in the country, we’ve gotta go to their place. It’s gonna be a tough game for us there.“

Head coach Nate Oats of the Alabama Crimson Tide looks on in the second half against the Connecticut Huskies in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at State Farm Stadium on April 06, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona.

Low morale

The locker room in Tuscaloosa has been through the wringer lately. Back-to-back disappointing losses to SEC rivals could have a serious impact on their seeding for the conference tournament as the most important month in college basketball gets underway.

“We’re playing for a lot more than just – we obviously can’t win the regular-season championship. We knew that coming into this game,” Oats added. “But we’re playing for SEC Tournament seeding, we’re playing for NCAA Tournament seeding. I thought we’d get a little bit better effort than what we got out of some of these guys tonight.”

Though the losses have taken a toll on the team’s morale ahead of the Alabama-Auburn matchup, the Crimson Tide are already locked into the SEC quarterfinals, as they cannot fall below the No. 4 seed.

Head coach Nate Oats of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts after a big second half play by his team against the Auburn Tigers at Coleman Coliseum on February 15, 2025 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Must win game

Both Alabama and Auburn enter their long-anticipated matchup at Neville Arena desperate for a win. Both programs are coming off losses, and while they remain heavy favorites in the SEC and NCAA tournaments, they seek a victory to build momentum ahead of the league tourney in Nashville.