Ahead of Alabama’s Sweet 16 game against top-seeded Michigan in the NCAA Bracket, Nate Oats & co. have received a tiny boost to the locker room morale after the court allowed a key scoring figure to travel with the team to Chicago.

Aden Holloway is currently suspended from basketball activities as an investigation continues into his recent substance-related arrest. An Alabama spokesperson has clarified Holloway’s chances of taking the court against the Michigan Wolverines. The spokesperson has stated that Holloway’s playing status has not changed, despite being cleared to travel to Chicago along with the rest of the team.

According to Jon Rothstein, the spokesperson said, “Nothing has changed with regard to Aden’s status with the team.”

Aden Holloway is currently out on bail after his arrest and has not been part of the active roster during Alabama’s NCAA Tournament run. His legal representatives filed a motion to allow the 21-year-old to travel out of state. According to Nick Kelly, the Tuscaloosa court has approved the motion, which means Holloway can now be part of the traveling contingent to Chicago.

However, until the internal investigation is done, Holloway is not part of the team, and the Alabama spokesperson confirmed that the 21-year-old remains ineligible to play against Michigan. Head coach Nate Oats & Co. have managed the Alabama run with aplomb thus far.

But Michigan represents a much larger threat. Dusty May’s Wolverines have only lost three games this season and tactically look like one of the strongest two-way teams on the floor.

Meanwhile, Alabama has dealt with numerous off-court situations ranging from Charles Bediako’s eligibility battle to Aden Holloway’s arrest, all the while Nate Oats coached his team to the Sweet 16. Oats has continued to be in contact with Holloway throughout his situation.

Nate Oats and Dusty May are both names linked to the available UNC job, and it will be interesting to see how this battle pans out in Chicago at the United Center. Neither team would want to lose its coach, with Alabama reportedly already locked in talks with Oats over an extension.

Nate Oats sees no reason to leave Alabama as the Championship dream remains

While the UNC job represents a major opportunity for any head coach in college basketball, Alabama head coach Nate Oats has distanced himself from the running. Oats is among the names being linked with the UNC head coach job after Hubert Davis’ departure.

But the 51-year-old is looking forward to continuing to build a foundation at Alabama while also lauding the college program’s commitment to the men’s basketball team.

Ahead of the team’s Sweet 16 matchup against Michigan, Oats said, “I’m not a guy that’s trying to always jump around. But the grass is not always greener. I love Alabama. My girls love Alabama. They’re here with me. I love working with the administration that I work with. Greg Byrne is the greatest AD in the country. Great if I were able to work with him for the rest of my career.”

“They’re doing everything they can to make sure that we’ve got a competitive program,” Oats continued. “As long as we’re able to compete to win championships here, the SEC, national championships, we haven’t done that here yet. I’d love to be the coach to bring us our first national championship. To me, there’s absolutely no reason to leave here.”

Nate Oats reportedly has an $18 million buyout clause in his current Alabama deal, and the figure will drop to $10 million in April. And if UNC is interested, it won’t shy away from splurging to land a head coach of its choice.

The Tar Heels program has already shown they are ready to part with enormous sums of money to decide what’s best for the men’s basketball team, with Hubert Davis’ exit possibly costing them somewhere close to $5.3 million.

In today’s NIL market, though, that $10 million could help bring in key transfer portal signings, and Nate Oats would hope the Crimson Tide program makes funds available to support his recruiting efforts. For now, Nate Oats seems happy to stay at Alabama. The 51-year-old has endeared himself to the Crimson Tide faithful