Nate Oats Reveals 'Next Step' for Alabama Amid Three-Game Win Streak

The Crimson Tide head coach evaluates his team's recent performances and how a full 40 minutes of defense is becoming a top priority.

Feb 11, 2026; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats reacts during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It's been a strange SEC slate for Alabama basketball.

After cruising past Kentucky in the conference opener. The Crimson Tide proceeded to drop back-to-back games against Vanderbilt and Texas. Alabama then lost two of its next five games to establish a 4-4 start to SEC play.

Despite being the only team in the country to make each of the last two NCAA Tournament Elite Eights, Alabama found itself ninth in the conference standings. Due to its .500 record, head coach Nate Oats considered the Texas A&M game a "tipping point" for the rest of the season, and the Tide prevailed. UA has now won three straight games, and as it stands at 7-4 in SEC play, Oats shared "the next step."

"Can we keep the defensive focus for 40 minutes, no matter what?" Oats said during Friday's press conference. "On top of getting fully healthy, can we keep the defensive focus for a full 40?"

"We're getting a lot closer with our defensive focus, the way we're moving the ball on offense. We're still not healthy. We had everybody that we think we're going to have available for the rest of the year on Wednesday at Ole Miss.

Injuries have certainly been a theme for Alabama this season, as the Crimson Tide has put together over a dozen starting lineup combinations. Taylor Bol Bowen has started in 11 of his 20 games played, but he's been dealing with a leg injury that he sustained against Florida.

After sitting out the Texas A&M game, he reaggravated it against Auburn and played a little less than his typical time on the floor against Ole Miss. Bol Bowen is a key piece to accomplishing Oats' defensive wishes, as he's shown that he can guard a variety of positions. He's expected to be doubtful for Saturday's home game against South Carolina, but it seems like more of a rest than a serious issue.

"You watched the [Ole Miss] game, Taylor [Bol Bowen] is not 100 percent," Oats said. "He's not even close. We're playing closer to what I like. If we could get Taylor healthy like we got Wrightsell healthy, and you see what Wrightsell is able to do when he gets healthy, Taylor's capable of doing something similar with the talent he's got.

"If we could get everyone healthy, continue to play with the focus, ball movement and the unselfishness on offense, it would be pretty close to the way I want it."

Five of Alabama's seven losses this season have come to the current No. 1, No. 12, No. 13, No. 14 and No. 19 teams in the AP Top 25. Each of these teams has displayed 40 minutes of consistent defense in good chunk of games, and it's a big reason why they hold their current status.

After falling to Florida, the Crimson Tide was removed from the AP Top 25 for the first time since Jan. 22, 2024. It ended a 42-week streak of being on the prestigious list. Fixing the defense will get UA back on it, but that won't be the case if it's not apparent for 40 minutes per night.

"One thing I didn't think we did a great job of was, when we got the 15-point lead against Ole Miss, I didn't think we kept our [defensive effort]," Oats said. "We showed the difference in defense for the first 10 minutes and the last 10 minutes of the second half. I think we were 0.73 to a 1.44 on defensive efficiency.

"The difference was that we built a 15-point lead and got comfortable. If we're going to be where we've got to get, you can't get up 15 and all of a sudden relax on defense for the next 10 minutes.

"The question is, next time we get a double-digit lead, a 15-point lead, can we keep the group locked in, particularly on the defensive end, no matter what the score is? There's been plenty of games this year [in the SEC], where large leads have been cut in a hurry. [South Carolina's] got enough scoring power, and any team in our league probably [does as well]."

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