Alabama’s Nate Oats had some really nice things to say about the Purdue crowd and the atmosphere at Mackey Arena
Nate Oats got his introduction to Mackey Arena on Friday night. The Alabama coach had never been inside the historic walls until his second-ranked Crimson Tide played No. 13 Purdue in a premier college basketball nonconference matchup.
The Purdue crowd delivered at a high level on Friday. Mackey Arena was rocking from the opening tipoff until the final buzzer, aiding the Boilermakers in an 87-78 victory over Alabama.
After the game, Oats had nothing but positive things to say about the environment in West Lafayette.
“I loved the environment. They’ve got a big-time environment here,” Oats said. “It’s my first time being here, I grew up in Big Ten country and had been to most of the Big Ten arenas. I hadn’t been here yet.
“I’m a big basketball fan, in general. As a fan, this would’ve been a great game to go to. As an opposing coach, it makes it a little more difficult. Hard to get your play calls out, they don’t hear you very well. When they’re on a run, it’s loud in there. If they get a stop, it gets loud. They’ve done a great job.”
Mackey Arena is considered one of the best environments in college basketball. It’s loud, it’s hostile and it’s incredibly difficult for opposing teams to operate.
As a basketball fan, Oats loved the environment. As a coach on the opposing sideline? Not so much.
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