The Alabama Crimson Tide's magical March Madness winning streak came to an end Saturday night in Phoenix.

The Tide lost 86-72 to last season's defending national champion Connecticut Huskies, who will look to repeat as champions tonight when they face Purdue.

It was a great year for the Crimson Tide, even though it was disappointing that they came so close to winning a title and then just fell short.

Nate Oats led his team to the first Final Four in program history and was on course for a national championship after spending much of Saturday night going toe-to-toe with the best team in the country.

Coach Oats spoke of his hopes for the future after the loss, saying he's disappointed not to be able to play tonight but that Alabama isn't done yet and he wants to come back and finish the job.

Nate Oats to Alabama fans:

“It's not over yet. I want to come back here and win this whole thing.”
(via @aldotcomTide)pic.twitter.com/kKBNRYULUJ

— Sideline – Alabama (@SSN_Alabama) April 7, 2024

“They've been so good to us ever since we've been here,” Oats said of the Crimson Tide fans, “and we're happy to have brought joy to Alabama fans through our basketball team and be a part of making it to the Final Four.”

“It's been a great result and I want to thank the team and the players for getting us here, but we're not done yet. We want to come back here and win this game and I think that's our goal. We want to come back here and win our last game. We've got to keep knocking on the door and ask that they continue to support us like they always have and keep building a winning product.”

In his five seasons as head coach, Oats has led Alabama to three Sweet 16 appearances, its first Elite Eight appearance since 2004 and its first-ever Final Four appearance.

Not to mention, they have won four SEC Championships (two regular season and two tournament) and are a team that competes for the championship every year.

The Tide played better than many expected on Saturday night and held their own against the best teams in the country.

While there will of course be disappointment with Saturday's final result, Alabama clearly has the best coach in college basketball and will remain a favorite to win.

Michael Browner is a senior sports analyst and contributor to Yellow Hammer News. You can follow him on Twitter. translation: