Oats is clearly still frustrated with the way his team has been playing but knows they are capable of making a deep run, potentially all the way to the Final Four or beyond. The road back to the Final Four begins on Friday for Alabama, and senior Mark Sears is eager to take on the challenge and help lead the team toward a national championship.

The Alabama forward suffered a knee injury towards the end of the first half of the Crimson Tide's SEC Tournament semifinal loss to Florida.

Alabama lost star player Grant Nelson in the first half of Saturday’s SEC Tournament game against Florida. Questions instantly were asked about his status for the NCAA Tournament, especially since Nate Oats revealed it was a knee injury.