On SEC Media Day, one question was to Nate Oats, “What do you have to do to win a National Championship?”

Oats was clear as day in his answer.

“Defense. We have to get our defense back to Top 5 or Top 10. That’s the answer.”

If Alabama had a better overall defense the season it made the Final Four in 2024, perhaps the Crimson Tide could’ve made a run for the National Championship.

It’s not like in 2024, their defense was poor. According to KenPom, they were ranked 111th in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency, but in terms of scoring allowed, they were 351st in the country. 

You can probably attest to the Tide being so low due to the type of pace they play with though. A Nate Oats system always calls for fast paced play with a ton of perimeter shooting.

For context, in the 2020-21 season, Alabama had one of its best overall seasons since he came to Tuscaloosa, and it was dynamic on the defensive end. KenPom had the Crimson Tide ranked third in defensive adjusted efficiency, along with ranking 10th in 3-point defense, but at the same time, they were 157th in the nation in points allowed per game.

That season in 2020, Alabama had Herb Jones as its top defensive player, and he ended up winning the SEC Player of the Year.

Since Jones exercised all his eligibility and was drafted to the New Orleans Pelicans, the Crimson Tide hasn’t had the kind of perimeter defender that Jones is.

That may have changed though for this season.

Davion Hannah. Get used to the name.

Because Oats made as strong of a statement as you’re going to get.

“I think Davion Hannah is maybe as good of a perimeter defender as this program has seen since maybe Herb Jones.”

His teammate, Labaron Philon even echoed Oats’ sentiments, "He's a defensive menace and causes havoc for everybody."

Hannah was a four-star recruit coming out of Link Academy in Branson, MO, but one of the aspects of his game that made it so appealing to Oats was his leadership.

In an article from Emilie Smarr of The Tuscaloosa News, Hannah was Link’s leader that was able to get the best out of his teammates.

"It's one thing to lead your high school team. When you're the best player on the team, everybody's looking up to you, but it's a whole different dynamic for us to have a leader that can unlock a lot of elite players," his high school coach Chad Myers said.

Alabama basketball getting 'team leader' type in incoming freshman Davion Hannah Link Academy coach Chad Myers remembers the first moment he truly heard Alabama basketball signee Davion Hannah's voice on the court.

Factor in that he’s already catching the eye of Oats as a perimeter defender, it opens the door for another top-10 defensive season from the Crimson Tide.

With Hannah, Alabama may be setting itself up for one of the best backcourts in college basketball. Alongside him, LaBaron Philon coming back is a massive upgrade, as well as Aden Holloway and Houston Mallette.

There’s no doubt that this team can score, and can score a lot, but honing in on the defensive side of the ball is incredibly important for this program if the Crimson Tide want to get back to the Final Four.