Nate Oats calls LSU game ‘maturity test’ for Alabama
By Andrew Olson
Published:
On paper, Alabama‘s upcoming game against LSU doesn’t present many storylines nationally. The Crimson Tide are 19-7 overall and 9-4 in SEC play, 2 games back in the conference standings. LSU is struggling at 14-12 overall and 2-11 in conference contests. Nate Oats called the game a “maturity test” after the thrilling win over Arkansas in midweek action.
“Tomorrow will be February 21, we’re into the last week of February. You want to be hitting your peak come into February, March and we’re here,” Oats told reporters. “This is the last week of February. So, are we going to be mature enough to finish the season well going into tournament play without a league championship in our control. We could win out and still not win the league.
“So, we’re playing for pride. We’re playing for seeding, we’re playing to hit our peak. We still haven’t had a whole healthy roster hardly at all this year. So, can we get our chemistry right? Can we see what our full potentials have been or still is moving forward with everybody? But yeah, I agree, it’s going to be a maturity test.”
Alabama is currently on a 5-game winning streak. Fans expect the Crimson Tide to have no trouble making that 6 in a row. On prediction market Kalshi, Alabama is the popular pick against the Tigers.
Alabama at LSU is set for a 6 p.m. ET tipoff. The game will air on the SEC Network.
"We're playing for pride. We're playing for seeding. We're playing to hit our peak." – Nate Oats says Alabama is facing a maturity test Saturday at LSU pic.twitter.com/mrD8N5zYRs
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) February 20, 2026
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
