Nate Oats Notes Significance of 'Big' Game vs Arkansas

Despite all the distractions this week, Oats believes that the Crimson Tide hasn't lost focus on the significance of Saturday's game against the Razorbacks.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — With all the distractions surrounding Alabama men's basketball this week, it can be easy to forget that the Crimson Tide has a crucial basketball game on Saturday.

This weekend, the Arkansas Razorbacks will make their way to Coleman Coliseum to face No. 2 Alabama (1 p.m. CT, ESPN2). While the ongoing situation revolving around recent events continues to create a sense of controversy surrounding the program, Saturday's game on the hardwood is very important to a Crimson Tide team that is looking to maintain its hold on the Southeastern Conference.

On Friday, Alabama head coach Nate Oats met with reporters ahead of the Crimson Tide's Senior Day game to speak on just that: the game itself.

"I think our guys will be ready to go," Oats said. "We had a good practice this morning. Looking forward to playing another Saturday game. Last weekend was great — it's been a while since we've played a home game on a Saturday, so looking forward to it tomorrow."

Alabama currently sits at one game ahead of Texas A&M in the SEC standings with three games to go in the regular season. While the Crimson Tide has to host Arkansas and Auburn while the Aggies travel to Mississippi State and Ole Miss, the two programs then meet in Bryan-College Station for a game that could decide the regular-season conference title.

That means that every game from here on out is loaded with significance.

"It's a big game," Oats said. "Obviously we've only got two home games left. We're a game up from [Texas A&M] with three games to go, so if you're planning to win the SEC Championship, you can't give away home games. We said that from the beginning. We've had seven — we're 7-0 in home games."

Back on Jan. 11, Alabama took a trip to face Arkansas in Fayetteville and proceeded to rout the then-No. 15 Razorbacks 84-69. However, Arkansas was playing without its best player in freshman guard Nick Smith Jr. — an impact player that has now returned to the Razorbacks' lineup.

In Arkansas' win on Wednesday over Georgia, Smith accounted for 26 points, one rebound and two assists. In the game, he shot 9-of-14 from the floor, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. While the Razorbacks certainly missed him in their last game against the Crimson Tide, his return has the team surging at just the right time.

Oats believes that while the Razorbacks have improved since the two teams last played, he believes the Crimson Tide has as well.

"Arkansas is much better than they were the first time we played them I think," Oats said. "I think we're better, too, but getting Nick Smith back has been a big addition to them. They lacked 3-point shooting a little bit — he hit five 3s his last game — we're going to have to figure out how to guard them with more shooting on the floor."

See Also:

Brandon Miller Displays Generational Performance in Alabama's Overtime Win

Full-Court Press: Takeaways from Alabama Basketball at South Carolina

Everything Nate Oats Said After Alabama Beat South Carolina in OT