Nate Oats might have been able to go to Kentucky. He'd rather turn Alabama into a blueblood.

The Crimson Tide will enter the season with the highest preseason ranking in school history.

On April 6 in Glendale, Ariz., Nate Oats coached the biggest game of his career: His Alabama Crimson Tide squad was participating in the first Final Four in school history. Even though the night ended in an 86-72 loss to eventual champ UConn, Oats left Arizona feeling gratified about what his Tide had accomplished, and optimistic about where the program was headed.

He had less than 24 hours to bask in that glow. On Sunday evening, news broke that Kentucky coach John Calipari was on the verge of becoming the new coach at Arkansas. As the sports ecosystem processed the shocking news, speculation