Can No. 3 Alabama pass latest 'maturity test' on the road at Arkansas?

Nate Oats tries to use other college basketball teams as examples to his players all the time.

When asked about trap games on Friday, prior to Alabama’s games at Arkansas and Texas that lead up to a matchup with No. 1 Auburn, Oats pointed to a similar situation for Clemson.

The Tigers were just behind No. 2 Duke in the ACC standings before hosting the Blue Devils on Saturday, Feb 8. But Clemson dropped a home game with Georgia Tech earlier this week.

Oats doesn’t want to see his Crimson Tide players fall into the same trap.

“I think we’ve somewhat overlooked teams here in the past, and it’s not a mature thing to do,” Oats said. “It’s not what a team that’s got veteran leadership should be doing. And I hope we don’t do it. But there’s plenty of opportunities for it. 

“I mean, a week from Saturday we get Auburn at home. If you’re focused on Auburn a week from now and not focused on Arkansas, you’re gonna lose.”

Rather than a trap game, however, Oats prefers to call the upcoming week a “maturity test.”

“Are we mature enough to handle our business right now and not look ahead?” Oats said. “I hope we are. I hope we’ve learned some lessons already this year.”

Alabama’s trip to Bud Walton Arena to take on Arkansas had all the makings of a trap – or test – for the third-ranked Tide. But after losing their first five SEC games, the Razorbacks have won three of their last four, including back-to-back wins at Kentucky and Texas. 

Over the last four games, Arkansas has been without star point guard Boogie Fland, who is out due to injury. Players like Johnell Davis have stepped up in his absence and helped the Hogs look more like some expected with John Calipari taking over the basketball program.

Oats said Arkansas is “playing significantly better than they were just a couple weeks ago.”

“We’ve gotta look at them as what they’ve looked like in their last four games because this is who they currently have,” Oats said. “This is what their rotation is. This is how hard they’re currently playing. This is how the ball is moving now. 

“So to look at anything previous to that, I think, would be foolish. When you watch them in their last four games, they’re one of the better teams we’re gonna face. Their talent level is really high. Our guys gotta understand it’s not easy to win on the road against anybody, and this team is playing as well as anybody right now.”

Arkansas fans will be excited to welcome the team back to Fayetteville after impressive wins over Kentucky and Texas. That’s why a strong start will be key for Alabama on Saturday (7:30 p.m. on ESPN). Oats and company don’t want the Hogs’ home crowd to be a factor.

“That place is loud,” Oats said. “I think Auburn’s probably the loudest place in the league, but when they get it going at Arkansas, they rival it. We’ve had some really good games there, coming out on the good end and the bad end both. 

“On the road, it’d be great if we had a great start to quiet them early. But they’ve got a good fan base. They’ve got good basketball people. They understand what the game is about. I anticipate them having a good crowd there after the way they’ve been playing these last four games.”

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